Begonia of the South
by Aquatic-Idealist
Summary: Xiao Qiao has recently died, and Zhou Yu is heartbroken. Sun Shangxiang is betrothed to Liu Bei, a man whom she does not even know. The intertwining of their lives will lead to a chilling chain of events, events that will determine the fate of Wu.
1. Forbidden

Begonia of the South (1)

Heaven is quite cruel at times. It takes the lives of children who have only recently entered this vast world. It shatters the dreams of countless scholars who fancy ideals which, if given the chance, could save our world. It ruins the lives of countless innocents for meaningless and sometimes pathetic reasons. Yet, even in our darkest hours, there are times when light can finally shine upon us, times when fate will give us the chance to rebuild our fallen lives, and it is during one of those moments when we can truly appreciate the precious things in our lives.

--------------------

Chapter 1: Forbidden

The hills north of Lu Jiang are calm and quiet, the perfect place for a burial site. A small black coffin was being carried on the backs of several coolies, and a few people were solemnly following the procession. One of these men had long hair, and was extremely distressed.

A monk was walking among the procession. When the casket was finally lowered, he spoke:

"Heaven was cruel to the lady Xiao Qiao. Her passing was much too swift for one so young. May fate be kind to Lord Zhou Yu, now that he is a lonely widow."

Those were words uttered only months ago, yet, even now, Gongjin could still hear them echoing in his mind. His wife and unborn child had been taken from him just before the Battle of Chi Bi. But even with his personal loss, the warrior succeeded in joining forces, albiet reluctantly, with the Sleeping Dragon, crushing the bulk of Cao Cao's 'navy.'

Now, he had to follow up his victory with the seize of Jiang Ling. Clearly, this was not an easy task. Jiang Ling was one of the most heavily fortified ports on the Chang Jiang. Once one accessed the city, they could easily move north into the central plains and strike Capital Luoyang, or they could move south and strike the resource rich cities of Changsha and Wuling, or, they could even move to the west, to the land of Shu, the land Zhuge Liang had convinced his lord to conquer.

Thankfully, the general had two friends on his side: Competent Comrades, and, a Reputation.

At Jiang Ling, the stationed Wei troops were wetting their pants. To speak of Zhou Yu was to invite the grim reaper into one's home. Not a good omen indeed.

Defending Jiang Ling was General Cao Ren. Now, Ren was competent enough, but his troops were busy wetting their pants to listen to his commands. Of course, as the great Sun Tzu put it: "No matter how talented the general is, if the soldiers are pathetic, the army is pathetic." Yes, the once feared Wei army was now a pathetic mass of cowards. Even Cao Cao was hiding under the bedsheets quivering in his boots. The Wei strategists were in a panic, running back and forth trying to find a way to combat Wu. Not surprisingly, with an enemy like this, Zhou Yu swiftly reached Jiang Ling's city limits.

Among the general's troops was a young woman. In those days, few women were given the chance to do men's work. As Confucius himself had put it: "Women and Men are equal. Women do their work, and man does his own. Both are vital for the survival of a family or nation, yet neither can be subsituted by the other."

But this girl was different. She was the younger sister of the current ruler of Wu: Marquis Sun Quan. Her name was Sun Shangxiang, and this would be her last battle with her fellow Wu people. She was betrothed to a fifty year old man, the aging Lord Liu Bei of Shu. This was all a ploy by Sun Quan to trick Shu into an alliance, but Zhuge Liang, the Chief Strategist of Shu, saw right through Sun Quan's scheme, and planned to use the girl once she arrived in his lord's borders.

Zhou Yu was fully aware that all was not well. Being the sworn brother of Sun Ce, Sun Quan's deceased elder brother, he knew that this marriage of his younger sister was a trap set by Quan to ensnare Liu Bei, and that Zhuge Liang knew all about it. Gongjin, however, could do nothing to protect her, he could not protect his little sister from her own family, or from the one she was marrying into.

But there was more to this...

Zhou Yu had always thought very highly of Sun Shangxiang. That day, when he sat beside his dying brother Sun Ce on his deathbed, Shangxiang peeked through the door. Zhou Yu thought his little sister looked adorable, then mentally smacked himself for having such a thought when his brother was dying.

Three years later, Zhou Yu was helping Sun Quan with his new rule. The nineteen year old ruler had several strategists, such as Zhang Zhao, help in domestic matters, but with Yuan Shu to the north and several rowdy tribes to the west and south, he needed a general, and Zhou Yu was the ideal general.

As Zhou Yu was thinking of a plan to counter their threats in those earlier days, Sun Shangxiang suddenly barged in. The General had long been married (he was married at the same time as Sun Ce), yet his little sister looked incredibly beautiful. She was just beginning to develop an adult-like posture, and, thus, many men were oogling her as she walked along. The fourteen year old, however, also showed a great competence in the military arts, so a good four fifths of these men did not dare to advance upon her further. She stood at the door, watching Zhou Yu muttering while looking at a map.

"General, if you need my assistance in battle, I will be much obliged to fight for you." She spoke.

"I do not doubt that you will do you best, but you are quite young, and inexperienced. And how will I fulfill my promise to your brother if I let you get hurt?"

"You've done everything you could for our family, more than what brother Ce asked for. It's imperative for me to make your life easier."

From that point forward, Zhou Yu began to take a liking to his little sister. This liking gradually increased to the point where he realized that he had to cease such emotions. He had a duty to his wife, Xiao Qiao, and he could not even think of betraying that duty.

But now, Xiao Qiao was dead, and he was too late. Sun Shangxiang was betrothed to Liu Bei, and there was nothing Zhou Yu could do about it. What angered the general was that Sun Shangxiang had no say in the matter. Though there were several familes who had such a situation, Sun Shangxiang was a princess, and was well respected. Couldn't she at least have one word? But Quan had abruptly made that decision, and now, Shangxiang was ensnared in her brother's grasp.

But Zhou Yu would not let himself accept this fate for her. He felt that he had to do something. At the very least, he had to make sure that she was happy with the idea.

And so, albeit a little awkwardly, Zhou Yu went to visit the Princess's quarters. They had constructed a fort in the outskirts of Jiang Ling. It wasn't that the Wei troops did not set up quarters for themselves in the city, it was that Zhou Yu felt that housing troops in a civilian living area was wrong, so he had to construct a fort to house his troops.

Unfortunately, in the old days, the members of royalty had a taboo that lower ranks could not simply walk into their quarters. In the past, Zhou Yu needed some kind of official verification from Sun Ce for him to have the privilege of entering Ce's quarters. However, this time Zhou Yu forgot to inform Shangxiang of his decision, so...

"You are not a member of the royal clan. You may not pass." A guard spoke. Shangxiang always had guards escorting her and defending the entrance to her quarters. After all, she was the Princess.

"But this matter is extremely urgent."

"None of nonroyal blood shall pass."

"Good sir, the fate of the Princess is at stake, you must let me through."

"That may be so, but you know your place, General. You may speak with her personally outside of her quarters, but not here."

Zhou Yu was beginning to turn furious: "I order you to let me in!"

"I must obey a higher authority, sir."

"I give him permission." A voice cried. Shangxiang descended the stairs from a higher floor to the front door. "Let him through."

"Yes, ma'am." The guard nodded, and stepped aside.

"Milady, I'd like to discuss with you regarding a certain matter."

"Come in, and why do you have to be so formal, Zhou Yu?"

"I... It simply seems strange for me to be giving you a nickname when firstly, you are a higher authority than me in civil matters and, secondly, well..."

"Well what?"

"I do not want to do things I may regret."

Shangxiang was taken aback. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Zhou Yu sighed: "I... I came here to ask you a question that's been eating away at me."

"Go on."

"Lord Sun Quan has intended for there to be an alliance between Shu and Wu, right?"

"Yes..." Shangxiang bowed her head.

Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow: "And to do this, he betrothed you to Liu Bei."

"Yes."

"However, forgive me for this assumption, but judging by your expression, you clearly do not agree with his decision."

"And I thought you were dense." Shangxiang smirked, but quickly returned to a depressed expression.

"As... Your brother, it is my duty to make sure you are safe, and that you are not being forced to do anything against your will. Quan is not your parent, and clearly, this is not for your own good. As his servant, I cannot explain my lamentations further, but let me assure you that I am completely against this betrothal. Milady, I'm sure that you agree that marriage is a partnership between two willing people. If either was forced into the marriage, it will not last, or will not be 'merry.' Sooner or later there will be terrible tensions between such a pair, and happiness is extremely difficult to find with such a decision."

"But, Gongjin, is there anything you can do?"

"I'm sorry, milady, but I am a useless dog merely whimpering to you. I cannot do a thing against Sun Quan's decision. To do so would be treason, and you know what consequences that brings."

"What a pity, right? Ce was never like that..."

"Yes..."

"But why do you merely stand here and whine? You are Ce's brother. No matter what Quan says, you're a member of the family, and, well, you're our master strategist. He can't afford not to listen to what you have to say."

"But what makes you so sure he will listen?"

"Why don't you even make the attempt? Why do you just talk? If you really care about my future, then you ought to talk to him, not just sit here and whine like some useless idiot!" Shangxiang turned and ascended the stairs.

"Wait!"

"Lord Zhou Yu, you must leave now." The guard narrowed his eyes.

Zhou Yu turned with bowed head and returned to the war room.

-----------------------

The Wei army, stationed at Jiang Ling, was quite unwilling to engage Zhou Yu. One of these worthless cowards rode on horseback to meet the General in the war room.

"General Zhou Yu, we of Wei do not want to cause unnecessary bloodshed. Let me negotiate some terms."

"Go on."

"We will give you Jiang Ling, if you let us all evacuate safely and take half of the city's granary and treasury."

"And you would abuse the people? I would not let that happen. You can leave and such, but you are not going to make the people of Jiang Ling suffer any more."

"Very well, then what if we were to take only ten percent of the city's granary and treasury? We will leave immediately if you accept those terms."

Before Zhou Yu opened his mouth, the guard continued: "If you do not accept, then we will have to fight you."

"Very well, then go, and get out of my sight."

"Yes, sir."

-------------------

The army of Wu entered Jiang Ling, and Shangxiang felt horrible. Yes, Wu had won without shedding blood, but now, she was going to be married off even faster. Part of the reason why she joined this battle was to make an excuse to stall the wedding. But now, it was going to be in progress.

"I would like to speak to the princess." Zhou Yu spoke to her guard.

"She does not wish to meet any visitors, especially you."

Zhou Yu was taken aback: "Very well." He turned and left Jiang Ling for Jian Ye.

-----------------------

"Ah, my finest General. Zhou Yu, your timeless victory has done wonders for Wu. We won Jiang Ling without a fight. At Sun Tzu himself put it: 'He who does not fight yet wins the battle is the ultimate general.' You are our ultimate General!" Sun Quan laughed as Zhou Yu entered the throne room.

"Your majesty, may I speak to you in private?"

"Of course! All of you, you are dismissed." Sun Quan shouted at his advisors scattered, eager to hang around and do what they normally did: eat, sleep, or drink alcohol.

"Lord Sun Quan."

"Why the formality? You always called my elder brother 'Ce.'"

"Very well, Quan, I think that you've made a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" Sun Quan crossed his arms.

"My lord, have you asked Shangxiang if she is happy?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I? And why wouldn't she? She is marrying one of the greatest men of this era. Liu Bei is the hero of the age. The people all over China sing his praises. Even some of the folks here in Wu! She will be married to a position far greater than that she is in now."

"But, unlike you, my lord, she lacks ambition. She has no desire to be a glorious queen. Her only wish to to do what she wants, and what she wants is to be a respected warrior and a heroine for women everywhere. For her to consent to such a ridiculous marriage, she would have to betray that latter desire." Zhou Yu snapped.

"Say no more, general, for either of us may say things we will greatly regret." Sun Quan sneered.

"Forgive my rudeness, my lord." Zhou Yu bowed and walked out of the room.

--------------------

"Zhou Yu, I never thought you had it in you." A short man wearing a farmer's hat laughed.

"What, Kan Ze?" Zhou Yu glanced at his friend.

"You've always been so intensely loyal to the throne. It is good to see that your common sense has not been deluded." Kan Ze laughed again.

The two were sitting in a little hut by the banks of the Chang Jiang, slightly west of Jian Ye. Kan Ze was the strategist of Wu who succeeded in tricking Cao Cao to believe in Huang Gai's battered body ploy. Being a farmer and fisherman by trade, he prefered to hang out in his hut and fish in the river rather than join the other strategists in their high-class lifestyle and their arrogant attitudes.

Zhou Yu had been tellling Kan Ze that he was concocting a ploy to save the Princess from this marriage. Of course, Kan Ze was fully supportive of the plan. Kan Ze was also a close friend of Shangxiang, mostly because he was not stuck-up by any means, but was quite a wise person to confide in.

"Of course, you know what will happen when you do save Shangxiang, don't you?"

"Yes, our relations with Shu may lead to war."

"Exactly, however, Shu could not destroy us at this time. Zhuge Kongming still has to take on Liu Zhang. He has too few resources to make war against us now. We could prepare for an attack long before Shu is able to strike us. However, I doubt Shu will do so. Wei is their sworn opponent, and they will immediately attack them once Shu tries to make war with us. Zhuge Liang has been caught on a hook, and he won't be able to pursue Shangxiang. We have the upper hand now." Kan Ze spoke.

"Kan Ze, should I get Huang Gai, Gan Ning, and even Lu Xun to assist me in this endeavor?"

"What, you weren't planning to ask them to help the Princess?"

"No, but, I do not think that anyone else has to risk their lives, ranks, or reputations on my behalf."

"Zhou Yu, we practically owe you our lives. You are our greatest General and Admiral. You helped Ce make Wu what it is now, and you ensured that Cao Cao's massive navy was totally annihilated. Wei will not be able to strike us with such force again for at least fifty years. You have the right to ask us to do whatever you wish, and if we did not oblidge, we should be called shameless and impish."

"Very well, then I take it that you're in, aren't you?"

"I was in the moment you told me what you were thinking. But we'd better hurry. This wedding isn't going to slow down or stop on our behalfs."

-------------------

"So, when should we strike? Now, and get Shangxiang out, or later, when her carriage is enroute?" Lu Xun asked.

"We obviously wanna get her out now. If we wait too long, Bei will be banging her, and that Sleeping Dragon fella will get the better of all of us!" Gan Ning snarled.

"It would seem that we could lower Lord Sun Quan's ability to track us if we assault the carriage as it is carrying the lady. After all, we could easily make it look as if bandits had kidnapped her. However, that would also mean that she could not be seen anywhere in Wu from that point forward. On the contrary, saving her before the wedding might only delay the inevitable, if Sun Quan decides to punish us by executing us all. With all that said, I believe that assaulting the carriage is the best way to end this, even with all of its cons." Xu Sheng spoke.

"Gan Ning, you're young. Listen to Xu Sheng. That lad's knows what's happening. If we were to attack now, it would completely screw us all, and it would probably do us and her no good anyway if we all get killed (since it'll be incredibly easy for us to get caught.) So I say let's listen to Xu Sheng." Huang Gai lectured the former pirate.

"Meh, Sheng's got the idea, and whoever listens to Gan Ning is an idiot. Now, Zhou Yu, I hope you're not stupid enough to hear what that drunkard has to say." Zhu Ran yawned.

Kan Ze and Zhou Yu found it quite easy to recruit several of their collegues for this expedition. However, some of these members failed to come up with a useful plan. Ding Feng was only nodding at every word Xu Sheng would utter, and Ling Tong was too busy snoozing to hear what was going on. Zhuge Jin was not a military strategist by any means. His presence was only meant to boost morale.

So our merry band decided to strike when the carriage was heading out. This, however, would require that they disguise themselves as bandits. If any person of Wu saw through their disguise, it would be their doom.

So, against his moral code of honor, Sun Shangxiang's carriage was attacked by Zhou Yu and co. Dressed like bandits, they dragged her to a safe house. Of course, she originally did not like the situation.

"You cowards! If I had my chaukrums, you'd be the ones screaming!' She struggled and yelled.

"Keep it down." Zhou Yu whispered.

"... Is that you?... You took the initiative..." She began to quiet down.

"Say no more. We've got to get you out of here, secretly..." Gongjin hissed.

"It is shameful that we have to do this in secrecy... Shameful for Lord Sun Quan, that is..." Lu Xun muttered.

----------------------

"My little sister was kidnapped?!" Sun Quan screeched when he heard the news.

Sun Quan, Liu Bei, and several of the two men's top officers were at the wedding ceremony held in the Shu summer palace at Baidicheng. Strangely, however, Lu Xun, Kan Ze, Huang Gai, and Gan Ning were not present.

"Lord Sun Quan, it is imperative that we send troops to find her. We of Shu find this to be especially disturbing, especially my Lord Liu Bei." Zhuge Liang solemnly spoke.

Lord Liu Bei was beginning to wail: "My newest wife... May have been deflowered by those ruffians. Whoa is me!" He cried.

"My lord, we will do what we can." Zhao Yun spoke as he walked out the door. Zhou Tai volunteered to join the Shu officer, and the two men, with 5,000 troops, went to search for Sun Shangxiang.

----------------------

"Zhou Yu, you saved me..." Shangxiang smiled at him in the safehouse.

"But in the process, I have endangered the lives of so many compatriots..." Zhou Yu bowed his head.

"As long as you follow your plan, nothing wrong should happen, right?" She tried to reassure him.

"True, but even if everything goes as planned, you will not be able to see the people of Wu, at least not under disguise, again..." Zhou Yu muttered, too ashamed to look at her."

"Gongjin, look at me..."

Zhou Yu turned his head.

"Among all the men who have pursued me, I refused them all. Some were men of talent, like Gan Ning and Lu Xun, yet I did not give them a chance. I did not want to waste my life by their sides." Shangxiang told him.

"Why? A princess like you should have a wise or strong husband, not some incompetent weakling... But, of course, it is your right to choose..." Zhou Yu spoke.

"And do you know who I've always wanted to choose?"

"Who?"

Shangxiang smirked: "Guess..."

Zhou Yu closed his eyes. He wanted to banish that word from his memory. Ever since that day when she told him she was willing to fight for him... To die under his command, his feelings for her grew. He knew the ugly truth: he never truly loved Xiao Qiao, the girl loved him. Yet she was so kind and sweet, and he learned to have feelings for her, but in his heart, there always was another.

Now, since he was so recently a widow, it felt so wrong to pursue Shangxiang. Not only that, he was Sun Ce's sworn brother. Would such an act be incest? That would definitely be a terrible omen...

But before he could speak, he felt a warm sensation against his lips. He opened his eyes, and Shangxiang immediately pulled back. As her cheeks turned red, he could only stare at her.

"Shangxiang, our desires may be wrong, at this time... Love itself is not a sin, but love in the wrong context is, for both parties. Lord Sun Quan will be searching you out, and if I am found with you, then would our lives not be ruined? You will be accused as a whore, as an immoral woman. And I will be a criminal, and I will very likely be executed for being with you." Zhou Yu groaned.

"I don't care."

"What?"

"Don't get me wrong, my heart always aches when you are hurt, and will shatter if you leave this world because of this, but I don't give a damn whether Quan will hurt me for having been beside the one I love. Why should I care about the consequences? My brother is a tyrant, a monster, a man who would betray his own sister for his own greed. In the name of 'glory,' he would 'give' me to a powerful man and give himself the opportunity to conquer this land. Why should I care about him? Zhou Yu, don't let that sense of duty to my elder brother Ce force you to remain loyal to Quan. Sun Quan is unworthy to have a hero like you stand beside him. I know Ce made you swear to protect Quan, but since Sun Quan has betrayed the honor of his family and his people, I think that oath is void. Besides, Ce told you to protect the Sun clan, right? Won't you always be there for me?" Shangxiang cocked her head to one side.

"Yes, but..."

"Then make your choice." Her eyes narrowed.

Zhou Yu realized what was truly important to him: "Shangxiang, I will stand beside you to the bitter end. You are right, there is no need to fear that ruffian. Even when we are separated, we will always have each other."

Zhou Gongjin and Sun Shangxiang embraced, and the entire assembly applauded them, silently, of course.

But as the couple sat side by side, things were brewing to the west, and the force that was coming would be powerful enough to destroy their union and shatter their hearts...

-------------

1. I suppose you are wondering, what's with this title? A Begonia is a species of flower native to Southern Asia, including the area that was once the Kingdom of Wu. It's also a tough flower, able to live through conditions that other flowers would die in. Thus, I felt it was the best representative for that precious flower of Wu: Sun Shangxiang.


	2. Hunted

Chapter 2: Hunted

"This is quite strange. Our last report suggested that the lady Sun was here when she was kidnapped. Yet, I see no sign of anyone having been here. These bandits are not fools indeed. They knew exactly what they were doing. Come, comrade Zhao Yun, we shall find these bandits and kill them all." Zhou Tai snarled as the two warriors began to search the area.

-----------------------

"They should have sent scouts to hunt us down already. Knowing Sun Quan, he's probably got some veterans after us. It would be wise to evacuate now and find a safe haven further away from the 'kidnapping point.'" Kan Ze spoke uneasily.

"You go on ahead. After all, you have your reputations to uphold." Zhou Yu snapped.

"We're not leaving without either of you." Lu Xun glared. The others nodded in agreement.

"Then let's not be stubborn idiots and leave already! The last thing we need is my brother finding us now." Sun Shangxiang broke the tension.

This small band of heroes left the area to find a suitable safe house for Shangxiang to settle in. After all, she could not been seen by the populace, or their cover would be blown. Zhou Yu ordered Gan Ning and Xu Sheng to scout ahead, while he and the other three would continue moving at their regular pace. Eventually, Gan Ning and Xu Sheng were taking a while, so Zhou Yu had the others follow, leaving only him and Shangxiang behind.

Shortly after the couple found themselves alone, they heard some rustling behind them, and Zhou Tai appeared!

"So it was you!" Zhou Tai snarled, raising his blade. "You, who would betray the good of Wu for... For a woman! And not just any woman, no, but the sister of our lord. How dare you! You... Unworthy wretch, thinking you can pollute his majesty's gene pool simply because you are our master strategist. Well, your plan wasn't foolproof, Zhou Yu, and now, I'll have to kill you!"

Zhou Yu kept his sword sheathed: "General, listen to me. The marriage Lord Sun Quan has planned for Shangxiang will only lead to her demise. As a warrior of Wu, it is your duty to care for all members of the royal family. There are other ways of forging an alliance than marrying your only sister off without her consent to some man whom she does not know. His majesty has made an error, and I am here to fix it."

"Yes, by making love to his sister. Yes, that is truly helping matters, isn't it, Gongjin? Don't make me laugh, bastard! Your death shall be a blessing for us all, lustful wretch!" Zhou Tai growled as he charged at Gongjin.

Zhou Yu responded by drawing his sword and blocking Zhou Tai's slash just in time. Zhou Tai, filled with rage, continued swinging his sword at various angles, trying to hack at whatever part of Zhou Yu's body he could reach, but the general was too swift for him, making him more and more furious.

------------

From a nearby bush, Gan Ning and Huang Gai watched uneasily. "Is he going to make it? Will Zhou Tai claim his head?" Both men wondered. Gan Ning spoke: "Hell, I can't wait any longer. We can't let Zhou Yu become mincemeat, can we?" "Don't move, Xingba. Zhou Yu has to win this one, to overcome his nature of being a doormat to Sun Quan." Huang Gai spoke. With that said, the two men watched the battle, fearing for the worst.

------------

Zhou Tai let out a war yell, and charged at Zhou Yu. The strategist merely stepped aside, and the reckless warrior simply charged past him. Zhou Yu waited for the right moment, then hit Zhou Tai square on the chest as the latter was charging, knocking him out of breath and knocking him back.

"Now will you listen to me, Youping?" Zhou Yu asked, glancing at his former comrade.

"I admit... You are quite a talented warrior, but you are a traitor nonetheless, and I'm sure you of all people know exactly how I deal with traitors!" Zhou Tai snarled and attacked.

"What a pity." Zhou Yu sighed as he countered another of Zhou Tai's attacks.

"Gwaah!" Zhou Tai growled and slashed, but Zhou Yu continuously blocked his strikes.

"I expected more from the great warrior who saved Sun Quan so many times." Zhou Yu sneered. In response, Zhou Tai performed a sweep kick, knocking Zhou Yu off his feet. He followed with a slash to the chest, and a turning kick to the head. Zhou Yu collapsed on the ground.

"Who has the last laugh now?" Zhou Tai snarled. Zhou Yu got up and shook his head. "Nice moves. I'm glad that you're actually matching your potential." Zhou Yu smiled. Zhou Tai was confused: "Why is he smiling?" He thought.

Zhou Yu stabbed his sword into the ground. "General, as a former friend, I think you'd appreciate this gesture. It is clear that there has been a major misunderstanding between us. And though I loathe to speak of our circumstances, it is clear that we both want what is best for the Sun clan." Zhou Yu sighed.

"You want what is right for you, General. You want a new wife, a new family, and a new beginning, but what I want is for the good of my lord, what Sun Quan wants. And what my lord wants is to give his sister the right to be a queen, and you take that right from her! You have turned your back on Wu, no matter how much you wish to deny it, old friend, and for that, I cannot forgive you. It is your lust, Zhou Yu, that has led us to this fate, and tonight, you will pay for your sins!" Zhou Tai raised his blade once more.

"Zhou Tai, as the daughter of Lord Sun Jian, I order you to stand down!" Shangxiang screamed.

"My lady, you have been deceived by this traitorous bastard. I shall help cleanse Wu of him, and you will be freed." Zhou Tai spoke calmly.

"Zhou Tai, you are the one who has been blinded! My brother was too ambitious from the start. He has plotted to become the Emperor for some time now, unlike his forefathers! My father wanted our family to rise from the mire of poverty, yet he met his fate at the hands of Liu Biao and Cai Mao. My brother Ce wanted our family to become glorious, to save China is this time of chaos and reunite the Wu province under one lord, but he has fallen. Yet, Quan's path was quite different from the others. 

"Think, Zhou Tai, what has he shown this entire time? He ordered Zhang Hong to meet with the emperor, and has asked for favors, even though he personally has not done a thing to help the Empire. Rather, he was merely feeding off Ce's scraps. Quan has attempted to use me to lure Liu Bei into a trap, and this will help force Liu Bei to strike Cao Cao. Once the enemy has been whittled, Quan can move into Luoyang, and claim the treasure he has been seeking this entire time: the Imperial throne..."

Zhou Tai laughed: "I can't believe this! So you've listened to one of Zhou Yu's lectures, haven't you, milady? Zhou Yu, I can't believe you'd actually try to tear the Sun clan apart. Are you this corrupted now?! Milady, stand back, I do this to ensure your safety by slaughtering this pig!"

"Shangxiang, stay out of this fight. It would be unwise for you to get involved. Consider this a test, a test to see if we can truly follow Ce's vision and not allow us to wallow in the cursed politics of China. Brother Ce is watching over us, and we will not fail him. Let me handle Zhou Tai. You stay here and stay safe." Zhou Yu nodded, and pulled his sword out of the soil.

"Good bye, Zhou Yu. I can assure you that you will not be sorely missed."

"Farewell, Zhou Tai. It is sickening that, in her darkest hour, you failed to fulfill your lady's wishes."

The two warriors pointed their blades at eachother, and formally began their duel.

"Who would have thought two old friends would be forced into such a situation?" Kan Ze whistled from afar. Lu Xun glanced at him: "It seems that one was forced, yes, but the other, blinded by duty, has willingly made this situation blossom into what it is now... A poisonous weed."

Zhou Yu and Zhou Tai engaged each other on the open plain while Shangxiang, dumbstruck, could only watch them. During this battle, Zhao Yun was aiming an arrow at Zhou Yu's back. "For the good of Shu, I must get rid of this fellow." Zhao Yun thought as he aimed the arrow at Zhou Yu. The strategist was too busy watching his opponent to see his back, and Shangxiang was too busy staring at the battle for either to notice. Zhao Yun fired the arrow, and it flew with great speed...

Only to be knocked out of the air by another arrow...

"Hey, Zilong, you wanna fight?" Gan Ning snickered as he put down his bow.

"Very well, Xingba. It seems that you have betrayed your own lord as well. I knew that Zhou Yu couldn't have done this alone..." Zhao Yun replied.

"Hey, don't insult Zhou Yu like that! Gongjin's only being nice, that's why he's letting Kongming get what he wants! Zhou Yu could easily take down Zhuge Liang if he chose to do so. You Shu freaks have no idea what Zhou Yu has given you!" Gan Ning growled.

"Is that so? Then tell me, how was it that the Prime Minister could control the wind. and Zhou Yu could not?" Zhao Yun asked.

"Because that wind is not so uncommon during that time of year, idiot! Zhuge Liang just happened to have the wind blow in that direction at that time. He is no magician!" Gan Ning snarled. (1)

"Really?"

"Go ask Lu Xun or someone if you don't believe me!"

"Then how about the time when Kongming saw through Zhou Yu's fire plan?"

"Hey, I never said Zhuge Liang was dumb! I only said that he's not as smart as Zhou Yu. Besides, they were in the tent the whole time. Who knows, maybe Zhou Yu told him about it. We were allies, after all." Gan Ning spoke.

"Alright, then. Well, my former ally, I'm sure you've heard the old saying: 'Alliances come and go with the tide.' Now the tide has receded, and we are foes again. I challenge you to a duel here and now. I am sure you'd respond accordingly!" Zhao Yun raised his spear.

"You bet!" Gan Ning smirked as he raised his sword.

"What kind of chaos have we gotten into now?" Lu Xun looked at his comrades uneasily.

-----------

1. Actually, that's true. The southeast wind was not unexpected, it was, in fact, not rare by any means. Luo Guanzhong just glorified Zhuge Liang, and history makes Kongming into a god when, in reality, he is simply a man, just like Zhou Yu.


	3. Into the Shadows

Chapter 3: Into the Shadows

The situation had gone out of control, and that was putting it nicely. With Zhou Yu and Zhou Tai bashing each other's brains out, things were already pretty intense. Add a crazy Gan Ning and a vengeful Zhao Yun and, well, it was surprising that no one was chopped into mincemeat... Yet.

Huang Gai playfully glanced at Ding Feng: "Say, you wanna bet?"

"Is this the time for betting?!" Kan Ze hissed. "They're going to get killed, and you want to bet on who gets cut up into mincemeat first?!"

"Well, beats just sitting here and staring at them." Zhu Ran sighed.

"He's got a point." Lu Xun glanced at Kan Ze.

"Well... Alright, 400 coins on Zhou Tai getting stabbed in the..." And the others simply stared at Kan Ze for a good three hours.

-------------------

And so, Zhou Yu and Zhou Tai fought... And fought... And fought... And eventually Zhou Yu smacked Zhou Tai on the head with his blade, and Zhou Tai replied with a swift kick in the groin, and Zhou Yu shrieked and began to glow bluish, and Zhou Tai was hit by a furious and glowing Zhou Yu. (1.)

Zhou Tai got up, growled, and pounced. He slashed Zhou Yu in the arm, and the strategist grabbed the wound and tried to flee. The wound was actually quite deep, and Gongjin's sleeve began to turn red. Zhou Yu quickly made like a dancer and ripped Zhou Tai apart with a flurry of elegant slashes. By the time Zhou Tai realized what was going on, he was already bleeding and badly hurt. The General collapsed, and the couple quickly prepared to flee.

At that moment, they saw Zhao Yun take down Gan Ning with a whack to the head. "General Zhou Yu, I, Zhao Yun of Shu, cannot let you leave here!" Zhao Yun twirled his spear.

"General, I know you to be a good and reasonable man, and I can assure you that what I am doing is in accordance with the lady Sun's wishes." Zhou Yu spoke.

"But not with my lord's, and I am not a servant of lady Sun Shangxiang. I am Lord Liu Bei's General, and Liu Bei wants Shangxiang to be with him in Shu. You should not get involved." Zhao Yun raised his spear.

"Then I must present my apologies, for I will definitely be involved." Zhou Yu raised his sword.

"Wait!" She cried, but he had to do it. Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun engaged each other. Fortunately, Zhao Yun was quite tired from his fight with Gan Ning, and with several well placed strikes, Zhao Yun was pacified by Zhou Yu.

Before they fled the scene, Zhou Yu decided to come to Gan Ning's aid, but Xingba waved his superior off. "Nah, don't worry about me. I wanted this to happen. Sun Quan needs a scapegoat to say that: 'here, we got the guy who kidnapped Shangxiang.' That way, you two can escape. All Sun Quan has to do is make it look like you are in the castle, Shangxiang, that way the people won't bother worrying after you. If they aren't worried about you, they're less likely to freak out and tell Sun Quan when they see you. See? It's better that way." Gan Ning smiled.

"But what about you? It will not be safe for you." Zhou Yu spoke, quite worried at this point. "Have you forgotten who I am? I'll be fine! Sun Quan wouldn't dare to kill me, and you don't need to worry, cuz I'll never break!" Gan Ning spoke. "But what will happen to you?" Shangxiang asked. "I don't care what happens to me, and whatever does happen is worth it if you two make it out safely, so go, and leave me here. I will be fine. Go, and hurry!" Gan Ning shouted. The two were forced to oblidge and flee.

-------------------

Shortly afterwards, Sun Quan and Liu Bei found Gan Ning sprawled on the ground, flanked by a beaten Zhou Tai and Zhao Yun. "It seems that the bandits were able to escape." Zhuge Liang calmly fanned himself. "Sometimes you say the most obvious things." Zhang Zhao noted with contempt. "What kind of treachery is this, Lord Sun Quan?!" Liu Bei glared at him. "I had no idea such a thing would happen, Lord Liu Bei." Sun Quan gasped, realizing that his entire ploy was foiled.

"It... Was... Zhou... Yu..." Zhou Tai groaned. "Zhou Yu? You've got to be kidding!" Luo Tong rubbed his chin. "Well, I can't say that I am surprised. Earlier, before we let Shangxiang leave Wu in her carriage, Zhou Yu had voiced some complaints about the marriage. I asked him to leave my sight, since I was afraid that we would offend each other. I had no idea that he would actually betray me, but as I think of it, it does not seem so unlikely. 

"However, we cannot let the Wu people know that their Lady is missing. I will have Gan Ning on a leash, and inform them that Shangxiang is in the palace. I will tell them that she was raped, and so she feels extremely unwilling to speak openly with anyone. They'll believe anything I say. Besides, my sister has practically been deflowered, the whore that she is." Sun Quan sighed.

------------

"Zhou Yu? No, it couldn't be, you're lying! My brother... The man my sister married, he is not the kind of man who would turn his back on his friends and people! Zhou Yu is a man of wisdom, of honor! You lying snake!" Da Qiao slapped Zhou Tai in the face when the latter reported to her what Zhou Yu had done.

"Is is true, milady. Zhou Yu has betrayed us all. He and Gan Ning plotted to steal the Princess from Wu. He deceived us all, that scoundrel! We will make sure that your sister's name was not disgraced when she married such a man. Zhou Yu will die for what he has done." Lu Meng nodded.

Da Qiao was in tears: "Did Zhou Yu...? Did he really? That... He's the Snake... He turned his back on us... Just to manipulate Shangxiang... Then... Then I will kill him... Then you should leave his punishment to me... For Xiao Qiao... For all of our people... If he betrayed us... Then He Will Pay!" Da Qiao screamed.

---------------

Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang were not found by Sun Quan's monthly patrols. Two months after their initial disappearance, a little pidgeon flew to Lu Xun's quarters. Tied onto that pidgeon's leg was a sheet of paper. Lu Xun opened it, and found these words:

"My student, as you read these words, I must say that life out here has been... Uneventful... There are times when I truly regret leaving. I hear that Wei has been gaining several victories in the north due to the appointment of Sima Yi. After all, since the death of the great Guo Jia, Wei has had a lack of ingenious strategists. Cheng Yu is by no doubt a marvel of our time, yet his genius cannot compare to Kongming's, and so Cao Cao appointed this Sima Yi to take his place. I hear that our base at Shi Ting has fallen under his control. It seems that, during my absence, these Wei curs have won several victories at our expense!

"But I hear even worser news. Am I correct in that Zhuge Liang has already taken three quarters of Liu Zhang's territory? The time for Shu's invasion of us comes closer than I could have possibly imagined, and I shudder at the thought that you, not I, will have to bear the burden of his attack.

"Thus, as I sit here and ponder, I sweat more and more at the thought that all of you will have to deal with both Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi. And with Pang Tong having joined Shu, the situation is even more dire. Yet something tells me that Shu would like to take down Liu Zhang and strike Hanzhong first before heading after us, so we still have some time, albiet very little.

"Now that I am out of commission, it is up to you and Kan Ze to lead the way for me. Lu Su is much too gullible, and I fear that, during talks with other factions, he will easily be manipulated, so I rest the burden on both of your shoulders.

"First of all, by my predictions, Sima Yi will strike Jiang Ling. Since I am no longer there, the city is defended by Zhu Ran, and though Zhu Ran is quite bright, I fear that his arrogance will make him no match for the deceitful Sima Yi. Once Jiang Ling has fallen, Wei will use that city to help them surround Shu. Like a gaping mouth, they will begin by closing the jaws. That is, they will strike Shu from two flanks, from the Jiang Ling area, and from the fortress at Changan. 

"This variation of the popular pincer tactic will have Shu attacked at two fronts, and I am certain that Zhuge Liang will defend the north while Pang Tong defends the east. Pang Tong will hold off the enemy from Jiang Ling, since Sima Yi will be putting less troops and officers in that flank. Sima Yi himself will be leading the northern flank and causing massive damage to Shu, forcing Zhuge Liang to use all his efforts to hold him back. Eventually, Sima Yi will take Hanzhong and try to reinforce his lines, while Kongming will hold Xia Meng and try to keep Sima Yi back. He will later call Pang Tong to aid him, and will probably leave the line in Pang Tong's hands while he takes care of business further south. Zhuge Liang will be focusing much of his energy on that point, so we will watch the gradual downfall of Shu.

"You might be wondering, what does this attack on Shu have to do with us? It has everything to do with us. If Zhuge Liang is able to see through some of these plans and thus reinforce Hanzhong while Sima Yi is taking Jiang Ling, Sima Yi will be forced to focus his attention on us. Or, if Sima Yi is too uncertain of our strength, Zhuge Liang will probably send someone like Zhang Yi or that youthful Jiang Wei fellow (2.) to take Jiang Ling. Once he takes Jiang Ling, he will attempt to march upon us, and thus, you will have to be prepared to face him. Remember, Lu Xun, the fate of Wu lies in your hands. Kan Ze is only your assistant, and his tactics are not as refined as yours. I've seen your war maps, and they are quite shrewd, so I know that Wu is safe as long as you are aware of all the possible outcomes that can occur. Best of luck to you! And though I am quite ashamed that I could not stand by you in this hour, you can always be certain that I will always be watching over all of you." Lu Xun read Zhou Yu's letter.

The moment after he put the letter down, a messenger burst in the door and shouted: "Jiang Ling is calling for reinforcements! They are under attack by enemy Wei forces led by some new commander called Sima Yi!"

"Zhou Yu... Wu lost a great man, and I am not sure if I can keep everything nearly as great as you... If only you would return to guide us in this hour. Still, no matter the circumstance, I will make these Wei and Shu foes fear the name of Wu!" Lu Xun grabbed his twin blades and ran out.

Lu Xun was unable to make it in time, and Sima Yi captured Jiang Ling that night. However, since his main unit was still outside of the city while Jiang Ling fell, he was not in the city. Thus, before he could enter, a strange man dressed in black attacked him and knocked him onto the ground. With a sword pointed at Zhongda's neck, Sima Yi heard the man's voice: "General, remember that your victory today was outwitted, but the strategist who suceeded in doing this is no longer a part of the Wu military or navy. As that strategist, I gave you the right to have this victory, but rest assured that Wu is not without its guardians. Make one move against the people, and your head will cease to be attached to the rest of your body. But I will not slay you. After all, Sun Quan needs to learn a harsh lesson that, though horrid, must be taught. I hope you will help him see the light by doing what you must as a General. But keep in mind that you cannot hurt the people. I spared your life today, and I think you ought to follow my wishes." After completing his statement, the mysterious man fled into the shadows.

Sima Yi smirked: "Zhou Yu... Ah, I wonder what could have happened? No matter, Sun Quan is a pathetic fool if he failed to utilize you properly. Thus, not to worry, I will teach him a lesson indeed." The sly strategist smiled and waved his fan.

Back at base, Lu Xun shuddered at the thought of what was yet to come.

----------

1. Sorry, but I just can't stay grim for long. I hope that and the previous paragraph (line) let you smile a little.

2. Mind you, Jiang Wei probably didn't show up around now, but this is a FANFIC, and I can do what I will. 


	4. Invasion

Chapter 4: Invasion

The Wu palace was in a state of constant panic. Reports were flooding in daily about another Shu attack. Shortly after Sima Yi took Jiangling, Zhuge Liang reinforced his positions at Hanzhong and Baidicheng. After all, the Shu army had successfully annihilated Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu in record time. Sima Yi, realizing that an attack on Shu was impossible, considered attacking Wu, but Zhou Yu's threat had made him nervous, so he decided to sit back in Changan and wait.

Because of this, Shu immediately attacked Jiang Ling and seized it for themselves. Zhuge Liang, with Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Wei Yan, Huo Jun, Wu Yi, Guan Ping, Guan Xing, Zhang Yi, and Jiang Wei, marched through Wu, burning several territories along the way. Lu Xun tried to hold him off at Ba Qiu and Changsha, but Zhuge Liang simply overwhelmed him, using Pang Tong as his backup advisor. Kan Ze and Lu Xun tried what they could, but they could not resist the wrath of the Han forces. 

Zhuge Liang had Zhang Yi chase Kan Ze to Nan Chang, where the former fisherman was able to disappear among the sailors there and eventually flee to Jian Ye. Zhuge Liang had Pang Tong surround and ensnare Lu Xun at Jiang Xia, making it impossible for the younger strategist to retalitate. With a few brave warriors like Lu Meng and Huang Gai making frantic attempts to hold him off, Zhuge Liang found himself victorious over the Wu army. Slowly the Shu army inched closer and closer to Jian Ye.

Xu Sheng defeated Zhang Yi at Hu Kou, a naval camp east of Chai Sang, forcing the General to retreat. By the time Kongming was able to retake this lost ground, Xu Sheng had already fortifed Lu Jiang. It was the only vital Wu city located north of the Chang Jiang, and if Kongming had his way, it would be the only city left in Wu control.

With all these things happening, Sun Quan found it a headache to keep track of what was going on. As China's communication system was quite slow at that time, it took a while for him to receive the latest news:

"Lord Sun Quan, I am here to report that Chai Sang has fallen to the Shu army." A messenger bowed before the Marquis.

"Where is Lu Xun?!" Zhongmou demanded.

"His last report declared that he was under seige in Jiang Xia, surrounded by one Pang Tong of the Shu army." The messenger replied.

"Boyan... Has been ensnared by Pang Tong? Do I have any semi-competent strategist who can hold off the Sleeping Dragon or the Young Phoenix, or are all of you people total idiots who can't even do what I ask you to do?!" Sun Quan groaned aloud.

"You had Zhou Yu." Zhang Wen bitterly pointed out.

"Ah... Yes, you're right... I did have Zhou Yu... And because of my sister, Shu is attacking us, and I lost Zhou Yu. But what could I have chosen? Let my sister be with Zhou Yu, and have the entire Shu army at my neck, or marry her off to Liu Bei, and lose Zhou Yu but gain a powerful ally?" Sun Quan sighed.

"You chose the worst path, and now Shu is after our heads and Zhou Yu isn't here to help us." Zhang Zhao snapped.

"You're right... But... How could I convince Zhou Yu to return?" Sun Quan wondered.

-----------------

Kan Ze had just made it safely into his home. The Shu general Zhang Yi nearly claimed his head, but, using his naval wits, Kan Ze disguised himself as an ordinary sailor, and thus was able to reach his home safely. But, before he could settle down, he had a visitor.

"Kan Ze, please listen to me. Wu is in danger, and there is one man who can save us." A voice called from behind him.

Kan Ze smirked: "Let me guess, you want General Zhou Yu to return to service."

"Of course." Lu Su nodded earnestly, entering the cottage.

"Well, let's just say that I can't give you that information." Kan Ze replied.

"But... But his majesty..."

"Bad move. Now I'm really not going to tell you. The last thing Zhou Yu wants is for him to return under the obligation that he has to help Sun Quan. Zhou Yu's changed, he's not going to be Sun Quan's lapdog anymore. All he wants is to be happy with Shangxiang. He doesn't need to deal with curs like you." Kan Ze snapped.

"Yes... I am a worm... But what I say is for the good of Wu's people! Who knows what will happen if some terror like Ma Chao is ordered to govern over them?"

"Well, we know that Pan Zhang and Zhuge Ke aren't much better than Ma Chao."

"Yes, Kan Ze, but what should we do to save Wu? Zhou Yu is Wu's greatest mind, and thus, he should be here in our darkest hours! Where could he be?"

---------------

The town of Tai Ping, located on the banks of the Chang Jiang, was a town surrounded by beautiful waterfront scenery. Many people agreed that it was the perfect place for one to retire. Huang Gai himself noted that, in a few years, the first place he'd try to find real estate in would be that little town.

So it was no surprise that Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang were in the town. Of course, the couple was well disguised. No one knew that it was them. They had their suspicions, of course, especially when Shangxiang (or her disguised form), was drinking alcohol and Zhou Yu was practicing with his sword. There were few ladies who would dare drink, and though most men knew how to use weapons, only a soldier would be so precise in his strokes.

But thankfully, Shangxiang was a light drinker, nothing close to Gan Ning, and Zhou Yu tried his best not to make himself look too suspicious, so the couple were able to keep their disguises. The two found themselves strolling in the marketplace, when they both overheard a conversation as they walked past an open bar:

"Hey, barkeep, got any news?" One of the customers asked.

"Yea. There was some fightin' over at Jiang Xia not too long ago. General Lu Xun got beat by some freak named Pang Tong." The barkeep answered.

"Well, wanna here even worser news? I hear that the Sleeping Dragon fella broke past Lu Meng's defenses west of Hu Ling." A second customer spoke.

"That would mean that they're heading this way! A bit further and Jian Ye's history!" The first customer gasped.

"Yep, but think about it, Sun Quan'll be kicked out of buisness, and imagine all the profit we could make! Because of him, we can't sell that much beer, but once chaos starts, they'll be a lot of depressed folks. What do depressed folks do? They drink beer! So we'll be rich!" The barkeeper laughed.

Sun Shagxiang and Zhou Yu were both shocked. In their absence, so many things were happening. Shangxiang quickly dragged Zhou Yu away to some more private area so that they could talk.

"Gongjin..." She groaned: "What can we do? I thought your message reached Lu Xun."

"I'm sure it did. But, I did not predict that Zhuge Liang would attack so soon..."

"But what can we do? Zhou Yu, my brother is a bastard. But he's... He's my flesh and blood... And the people of Wu, they'll suffer when the war reaches the Capital." Sun Shangxiang sighed.

"Then I must come to their aid." Zhou Yu looked up, determination burning in his eyes.

"Wha-? But..."

"Shangxiang, I do this for the good of the Wu people... For the fact that I abandoned them for so long..."

"But you didn't really do anything wrong, Zhou Yu."

"That may be what we think, but is that how they feel? No, I must go to their aid, not for Sun Quan, but for the people of Wu."

"If that's what you really want, then I will support you all the way." Shangxiang nodded before her husband.

"Then we shall go!" Zhou Yu drew his sword.

--------------

Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang entered the town hall. Since the balcony was public property (anyone could go there and have a view of the city), Zhou Yu quickly reached the balcony. Standing on the balcony, he threw off his disguise and yelled a war cry. The people of Tai Ping were shocked and looked up. There, they saw one of Wu's heroes staring down at them: General Zhou Yu.

"People of Tai Ping! I understand that the recent attacks by Shu have made you worried about the future, but rest assured, we are not hopeless! I hear that they are coming this way, but we shall be ready for them! We are the people of Wu. For years, our ancestors, the tribesmen of Fujian, made certain that no outside force could conquer and force us to submit. Thus, we are no weak people. The enemy conquerors won't have an easy time as they approach this city. Stand together, prepare yourselves, and the Shu forces will be forced out of here. We shall liberate our brothers and sisters who have been enslaved by these Shu bandits. We shall free our brave siblings who are still fighting the Shu forces as we speak. As the people of Wu, we shall prevail! Let us go and banish this foe from our beloved homeland once and for all!" Zhou Yu yelled.

Across the city, a cheer began to spread. Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang watched as the people of Tai Ping began to celebrate the fact that their hero emerged from the darkness. Standing side by side, the couple smiled at each other, happy that they both were finally able to return to the service of their beloved homeland.

Several people were eager to interview Zhou Yu and the woman by his side, whom they soon recognized as the Princess Sun Shangxiang. They quickly learned that Zhou Yu loved the Princess, but due to Sun Quan's cruelty and attempt to marry her to Liu Bei, Zhou Yu was forced to save her and thus betray Sun Quan. They already had doubts that Zhou Yu was a criminal, and those doubts were proven to be right. Now, with the Princess and the Legendary General on their side, the Wu people were confident that they could defeat Zhuge Liang. Quickly, out of a population of 8,000 souls, an army of 5,300 militia troops from Tai Ping was quite willing to help Zhou Yu.

Meanwhile, General Zhang Yi sent his army of 12,000 to strike Tai Ping, as the city was the next of a chain of towns blocking Shu's path. Zhou Yu, however, was ready for them. Placing several former hunters as archers in bushes, and having dug several pitfalls (among the traps of the day, the type Zhou Yu loved was the pitfall), Zhou Yu had set up a defense. Adding extra flags to make the army look much larger than it already was would help matters as well.

Zhang Yi approached the city, yet his scout and light assaulting calvary were all quickly destroyed by the well placed pitfalls. Zhang Yi was already quite worried, but continued marching forward. This was when Zhou Yu ordered his archers to fire. Their sudden strike stunned the advancing Shu troops, and, seeing the flags in the distance begin to wave, they feared that they were in a gigantic ambush, and thus, began to retreat. Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang emerged and quickly attacked, along with 2,000 of their troops. Upon seeing Zhou Yu, Zhang Yi let out a scream and began to run for his dear life. The General had earned Wu's first victory out of this chain of defeats.

-------------------

Zhang Yi fled back to Zhuge Liang's headquarters, where he told the strategist: "Zhou Yu has emerged." Upon hearing that name, Kongming's face turned white: "Zhou Yu?" The Sleeping Dragon realized that he had just lost his chance to conquer Wu. With Zhou Yu back in action, he might even be forced out of Wu entirely. The tables had indeed turned for the people of Wu.

-----------------

Back in Jian Ye, a messenger informed Sun Quan that Zhou Yu had emerged from the shadows at Tai Ping. Sun Quan closed his eyes contently, and cooed: "Zhou Yu... Ah... My power will not be taken from me... Give the General his rank back, and you can tell the troops who were under his command to reunite with him. With Zhou Yu by my side once again, Shu shall be destroyed." Sun Quan laughed. 


	5. Turning the Tables

Chapter 5: Turning the Tables

The city of Hu Ling, across the river from Lu Jiang, was the perfect place to keep the Wu army afraid. If Kongming wanted to, he could simply cross the river and take what Xu Sheng had preserved. If he chose to march further east, well, he'd quickly arrive at Jian Ye, and thus, take the Wu capital. Zhuge Liang was so pleased that he had made this city his new base of operations.

So it was not a pretty sight to see an exhausted Zhang Yi, beaten and depressed, stagger into the city. Zhuge Liang rushed to greet his general, and took him inside the officer's lounge. Zhang Yi told him: "Zhou Yu has emerged..."

"Zhou Yu has emerged..." The thought repeated itself in Kongming's mind. "Zhou Yu has emerged... Zhou Yu has emerged!"

"GAH!" Kongming yelled as he stamped his foot on the ground. His eyes were full of both fear and rage. With Zhou Yu having left his hiding place, it was only a matter of time before the master strategists of Shu and Wu would be forced to engage each other. As Zhuge Liang continued to curse, Zhang Yi left the lounge.

"How can I save the Han Dynasty now? When the rebels have regained their champion?!" Zhuge Liang groaned.

"What's wrong, master? Zhou Yu is but a man. You are our greatest mind. What makes you think that you can't beat him?" Jiang Wei turned to his teacher.

"Have you forgotten, Jiang Wei, what a rat does when it is cornered? We have the Wu army trapped in a corner, and thus, it will strike with greater vigour than ever before. Zhou Yu knows this land much better than I do, and if I send Zhang Yi, or, heck Zhao Yun, that warrior will be defeated. I know for a fact that Zhou Yu is definitely not an idiot, and he will outwit anyone else but me. Even if I sent you, I doubt you could score a victory over Zhou Yu for long." Zhuge Liang turned to Jiang Wei.

At that moment, Kongming heard a loud crash, and Wei Yan burst into the room: "Troops... Crushed..." Wei Yan groaned.

"What?!" Zhuge Liang stepped out of the building with Jiang Wei and Wei Yan. At that moment, another rock flew from the sky and crushed part of that building. "Do any of you know what's going on?! Zhou Yu has ordered an artillery strike!" Kongming yelled desperately.

Sure enough, Zhou Yu had Hu Ling surrounded, and had ordered his catapults to smash the city. He had archers stationed at every gate, so once the Shu army opened the gates, they'd be mowed down by the archers. The Wu calvary, though not nearly as strong as Wei's, was still prepared to give the Shu troops a good thrashing. Gongjin was in no mood to lose.

Sun Shangxiang looked uneasly at the seige. The reason why Zhou Yu had emerged was to protect the Wu people. To attack the city like this would be threatening the safety of civilians, even if they were attacking the city's defenses and not its residential districts.

The Wu forces had forced Kongming to unleash his great weapon: the Juggernaut. (1.) These large, mobile flamethrowers were released from the gates and proceeded to fry the archers to a crisp. But Gongjin was aware that such a thing might happen, so his archers saw the forms of the Juggernauts as the gates were opening, and were able to run away before the Juggernauts had a change to burn them.

As the Juggernauts were emerging and moving towards the Wu lines, warships on the Chang Jiang aimed their ballistas. With a green flag as a signal, these ships fired their ballistas at the Juggernauts.

Considering that the average ballista round was half the size of an average palm tree, a few ballista rounds were able to smash the Juggernauts and force them to collapse, thus making them useless.

Zhuge Liang could only stare at what just happened. His mighty artillery, the infantry-frying Juggernauts, were cannon fodder for Zhou Yu's warships. To celebrate the occassion, Zhou Yu had the remaining ballista rounds destroy Zhuge Liang's defensive watchtowers and armories.

Zhou Yu watched as everything around Zhuge Liang collapsed. Gongjin thought to himself: "Kongming should be thankful that I didn't set everything on fire. The people would have suffered if I did."

Zhuge Liang turned to his generals and his advisors, and yelled: "What are you standing there for? Everyone, run for your lives! We're giving this city to Zhou Yu!" On cue, the remains of the Shu army ran towards the west, and Zhou Yu let them. "Why aren't you taking them out?" Shangxiang demanded. Zhou Yu smiled at her: "By letting them run, they'll take us to their next main base, and then we'll know exactly how they're deployed." On hearing this, Shangxiang smiled and spoke: "No wonder why Ce trusted your judgement over all others!"

The Wu army chased the Shu army, and in doing so, they gained a lot of lost ground. Slowly, Wu was reclaiming what was rightfully its own, and the nation of Shu continued to lose its spoils of war. At Hu Kou and Nan Chang, the Wu army was able to break the Shu army, since its morale was already at an all time low based on the fact that Zhuge Liang, the god of the Shu army, was being beaten by Zhou Yu, the hero of Wu.

At Jiujiang, Zhuge Liang regrouped and prepared to hold off the advancing Wu army. On the Shu side, General Zhao Yun emerged and raised his spear.

Zhou Yu turned to his Generals: "Who is willing to fight Zhao Yun?" He asked.

Sun Shangxiang stepped forward: "I shall!"

Zhou Yu was shocked. His wife wanted to fight one of Shu's best? "I don't want to lose you..." Zhou Yu began.

Shangxiang tightened her grip on her chakrums: "You won't, Gongjin. Zhao Yun has nothing against me."

"Exactly, he has no quarrel with you, so you'd better let someone else do this. Zhou Tai!" Zhou Yu was about to order another warrior to step forward, but Shangxiang quickly grabbed his robe.

"I wasn't aloud to fight last time, and because of that, you nearly lost me. But you can rest assured that when I am aloud to fight this time, you won't lose me. The only thing I want is to make sure that you and I can be together for the rest of our lives, but how can I make sure of that if someone like Zhao Yun is allowed to threaten us? If you let Zhou Tai go out there, then who knows, maybe Zilong will win, but if you let me face that warrior, then I will make sure that he'll never be able to hurt Wu again!" Sun Shangxiang spoke.

Zhou Yu looked into his eyes. He felt that he could trust his wife, but he did not want her to get hurt: "Then what if I were to go?"

"No, Gongjin. If I get hurt, only you and I are truly affected. But if you are hurt, then all of Wu will suffer. You're too important for something like this. Let me handle Zhao Yun." Shangxiang held on to him.

Zhou Yu closed his eyes, fearful that something would happen. "Alright, Shangxiang, go ahead." Zhou Yu nodded.

In an instant, the Princess of Wu appeared on the battlefield. "Zhao Yun of Changshan! Do you know who I am?!"

A trail of drool was leaking from the corner of Zhao Yun's mouth. The general was in a daze. After all, for such a beautiful woman to be one's opponent, well, anyone would be having a nice daydream. But, realizing what was going on, Zhao Yun snapped out of it: "Huh? Oh, right, you are the warrior Princess of Wu, the lady Shangxiang..."

"And the wife of the Supreme Commander, you pig!" Shangxiang readied her weapons.

"Oh, Zhou Yu got that lucky, didn't he? But wait, why is he letting his wife go into battle?" Zhao Yun blurted out.

"You'll find out soon enough!" The lady snarled as she charged at the great warrior.

Before Zhao Yun could react, the men of Shu could hear a series of ripping and tearing. Zhuge Liang was in his tent, and the sounds he was hearing were quite strange, so he emerged from his tent and looked out.

He found Zhao Yun slashed beyond recognition, yet the warrior was caught off guard before he could scream.

Zhao Yun fell off his horse and hit the ground. Sun Shangxiang twirled her chaukrums and readied herself into a battle stance. Zhao Yun took one look at his uniform, and realized that it was badly cut up. He also noticed that he was bleeding in several areas.

Zhuge Liang could only stare at the woman-general. "Zhou Yu married an amazon? Thank heavens that I have Huang Yueying, and not some man for a wife!" He muttered.

Zhao Yun twirled his spear: "I normally cannot hurt ladies, but since you are a man with the ability to bear children, I find that I do have the right to attack you."

"I doubt you'll have the chance, warrior!" Shangxiang taunted as she immediately countered his charge.

A few slashes later, Zhao Yun did get the chance to scream, and scream he did. The entire Shu army was traumatized after seeing the lady Sun defeat the great Zilong in combat.

"She's... Woman... Zhao... Yun... Pansy... He... Can't... Hit... Her..." Wei Yan explained to Zhuge Liang.

"I know..." Zhuge Liang smacked his face with his hand. "I know..."

Sun Shangxiang proudly marched back to Zhou Yu's line. She went and gave her husband a hug. "I made sure that he won't be able to threaten us again." She smiled at Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu was honestly stunned. Who would have thought that he'd be able to marry the warrior who could take out the great Zhao Yun in a single match? "Thank you... Shangxiang..." Zhou Yu mumbled while holding her close.

Once again, the Shu forces were quite scared at the might of Wu. Zhou Yu simply ordered his calvary to dive forward, and the Shu army began their retreat in great numbers. Slowly but surely, the warrior would arrive in Jiangxia and free Lu Xun. Victory might be in their hands after all!

-----------

1. Disclaimer: Juggernauts did not officially exist, but in the game Dynasty Warriors, they give Shu a bonus over Wu and Wei. Unfortunately, Zhou Yu knows how to kill Juggernauts when he sees them. 


	6. A Burning City

Chapter 6: A Burning City

The river Chang Jiang served as a natural border between Wu and Wei. Other than the city of Lu Jiang and its adjacent territories, everything north of the Chang Jiang practically belonged to Wei.

So, from the safety of Wei territory, Sima Yi set up a sofa and decided to watch the upcoming battle of Jiangxia. Seeing his two worst enemies duking it out was quite an exciting sight. He wondered who would lose, would it be the arrogant Zhuge Liang, or the confident Zhou Yu? Would the hobo Pang Tong be forced to flee for his dear life, or would the young Lu Xun be forced to surrrender? Sima Yi ordered his servant to fetch him a bowl of his favorite grapes, and the strategist was having the time of his life: eating grapes and watching his foes kill each other.

Zhou Yu's unit marched towards Jiangxia. With the Wu forces regrouped and confident once again, victory seemed to be in their grasp. The Shu armies also regrouped themselves, with Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong trying to actually occupy Jiangxia, for Lu Xun still held parts of the city.

The city of Jiangxia was torn asunder. Pang Tong and Lu Xun's duel had caused the city to crumble, for an extended seige does not bode well for the populace or the buildings. The stench of dead bodies, the ruined buildings, and the flaring flames that smothered the city made it a chilling scene to behold. Lu Xun had finally received news from the outside world that Zhou Yu was arriving. Knowing full well that Zhou Yu's aid would save Jiangxia, Lu Xun's heart had some sense of hope.

"General, we've spotted a Wei outpost north of the river." A Wu scout reported to Zhou Yu.

"Ignore them, if they aren't shooting at us, it means that they want to observe us. Let us show those Wei scums that we can save our nation from any threat. It'll help convince them to rethink a future attack on us." Zhou Yu told his scout.

Zhou Yu's navy closed in on Jiangxia, while the General himself was leading the land assault. Shangxiang stood beside her husband as their troops marched towards Kongming's position.

-------------------

Wei Yan spotted Zhou Yu as the strategist approached the Shu position. "He... Came?... No!" Wei Yan gasped as he rushed to inform Kongming.

"So Zhou Yu's chased me here. Shiyuan, would be so kind to help me hold him off? I'll deal with Lu Xun." Kongming spoke.

"If Zhou Yu was able to best you this far, it seems difficult for me to draw him away for long. Lu Xun may be under seige, but he is quite resourceful, and he's been able to keep a notable force alive and quite strong this entire time. You'll have a headache trying to take him out." Pang Tong warned.

"I'll be fine. You try to take on Gongjin." Zhuge Liang disdainfully waved his fan.

Pang Tong shook his head and marched his warriors.

-------------------

"Sir, enemy troops have been spotted heading straight for us." A scout told Zhou Yu.

"What kinds of soldiers did you see?" Zhou Yu asked.

"We spotted Juggernauts and Mounted Archers. There were also scores of common infantry units and pikemen." (1.)

"Sir, I don't think a frontal assault would work." Ding Feng spoke.

Zhou Yu nodded, and smiled, but did not say a word, prompting Cheng Pu to speak: "I'd have to agree. It looks like they're prepared for an infantry or calvary strike."

Zhou Yu laughed: "You are very observant, my fellow warriors. True, we cannot strike them head on. That is why I have our naval forces on the river nearby. Their ballistas should be able to take out the Juggernauts. As for their troops, well, let's dig in and strike them from afar with land ballistas and catapults. They might not take out all of the calvary riders, but they could theoretically get rid of the infantry units for us. Once that is settled, our own mounted archers and calvary will strike them."

-------------

Pang Tong marched his forces ahead. "Our first strike force is a decoy. I hope that, as their naval units are reloading, we can go in there with the rest of our calvary and hit their positions with everything we have." He told his men.

"Sir, I do not think that Zhou Yu will go down that easily." Zhang Yi pointed out.

"Which is why we can't depend on the calvary. I brought artilery for a reason, you know." Pang Tong replied.

"Well, we can only hope that it'll do something. Knowing Zhou Yu, he doesn't get beaten easily." Zhang Yi shuddered at the thought of Zhou Yu's earlier victories against him.

----------------

"They have additional catapults." A Wu scout warned.

"We don't have enough time to worry about that. Raise the signal!" Zhou Yu yelled.

A green flag popped up, and suddenly, waves of ballistas flew from the river and smashed the enemy Juggernauts. A few additional ballistas rammed themselves into Pang Tong's formation and crushed a catapult. As a result, Pang Tong lost several of his troops.

"Charge!" The Shu strategist yelled at his calvary.

"We're under attack!" Cheng Pu began to panic.

"Initiate countermeasures!" Zhou Yu ordered.

Arrows flew at the Shu calvary, while its Wu counterpart immediately dashed forward. Swords clashed and hooves beat the ground as the two armies battled it out. Both strategists heard the screams of riders and horses as they fell, and both closed their eyes at the sight. "To think, we were allies only months ago. Now, we are such bitter foes..." The two minds sighed and turned their heads simultaneously.

The Shu army was better trained, but the Wu army had higher spirit and had the advantage of cover fire from Zhou Yu's skilled archers. Thus, the Shu troops were scattered. Pang Tong, however, wasn't afraid. "Fire the catapults!" He yelled.

Giant rocks crushed the Wu lines, and Zhou Yu's subordinate officers began to panic. Sun Shangxiang, however, scolded them: "If you're scared just because the enemy used artillery against us, then what has become of Wu?! Have you truly become cowards, warriors? Wu has just began to regain what it has lost from Shu's assault, yet those in which Wu has placed its hope betrays her when they see Shu's might in action? What did you think this would be, a kite flying competition?! This is war! People die in war! Everyone feels pain in war! But if you're scared just because the enemy is throwing huge rocks, then you don't deserve to be called soldiers! Our country needs us, and we can't let our fear overtake us. Sure, you're scared. Heck, I'm scared! But we have to throw aside our fears for the good of our people... For the good of Wu! So stand, gentlemen, stand and fight for our beloved homeland. Stand and fight for Wu, no matter the cost! Remember, when we win, we shall be free. We can't be free when you simply run in fear from the enemy's weapons. We will win this war. Stand up and take 'em down!"

The lady grabbed a long spear and ran forward. Gongjin's troops saw this woman, who was a girl in many ways, charge forward and engage the enemy. They realized the valiency in her words, and immediately followed their princess into battle. The Shu troops soon learned that this flower had tough, poisonous thorns, and they were cut down like wheat in a field. Pang Tong, realizing that his artillery strike did more harm than good, ordered a retreat, while Zhou Yu had his warriors chase the enemy strategist to the gates of Jiangxia.

On arrival at Jiangxia, Shangxiang and Gongjin found that the city was taken by Kongming. Lu Xun was a prisoner, yet the city's walls were so damaged that they could hardly last a seige. Pang Tong rushed through the gate and rejoined Kongming's unit, forcing Zhou Yu to create a circular formation around the city. Gongjin sighed, and shouted: "Fire the Catapults and Ballistas!"

What was left of Jiangxia's wall came crumbling down, and the Wu troops charged forward. Shu's broken, demoralized army staggered to meet them, and Kongming found himself a near prisoner. He and Pang Tong immediately asked Zhao Yun and Wei Yan to escort them, along with their other officers. They attacked Ding Feng's unit, and Wei Yan took down Ding Feng, allowing the Shu troops to flee. Jiangxia, or what was left of it, was retaken, but Kongming and Shiyuan escaped with their lives.

Sighing, Zhou Yu distributed his supplies among the civilians, and waited for new rations and reinforcements to come from Sun Quan's camps. Though they were victorious, the troops of Wu knew that the war was far from over. The battles of Changsha and Jiang Ling were yet to be fought, and the threat of Sima Yi's invasion was on everyone's mind. Who could say what fate would bring?

----------

1. To clarify, a common infantry unit is a guy holding a sword or axe, they typically have mobile armor (medium armor that can stand blows, but cannot protect the user as efficiently as full-bodied or thick armor. However, this armor also allows for much better movement than thick or full-bodied armor.) Archers have light armor that allows them to move quickly and perform hit and run tactics. Mounted units typically have medium or heavy armor, since horses can usually take some weight.


	7. Plotting

Chapter 7: Plotting

Safe within the walls of Changsha, Zhuge Liang had his face in his hands. For years, he was the victor. Men throughout China honored him for his endless string of victories. Yet, only recently, another man seemed to be stealing this glory from him.

"Why has Zhou Yu been winning against me? I do not understand. In China, everyone fears my name, not Zhou Yu's. Why is he winning?" Zhuge Liang stared uneasily at the door, fearing that, by some random act of chance, Zhou Yu would burst through it and capture him.

"You seem to have become arrogant because of your reputation. What a pity..." A voice spoke.

Zhuge Liang turned his head. A strange man was standing behind him. "Guan Lu... Why don't you just hang around with Zuo Ci and leave us normal people alone?"

"Bitter, are we? I have to say that your defeat at the hands of General Zhou Yu was quite entertaining. If you would like to know, Sima Yi was dancing about for hours after Jiangxia was taken by Wu. He hates you more than he despises Zhou Yu." Guan Lu smirked.

"These rebels... They make me look like a fool, like a git, but I will crush them all. The Han Dynasty will be restored once again. Where Tian Feng failed, I shall succeed. Yuan Shao was a fool who wanted glory. My lord is wise and farseeing. I intend to help him make the Han Dynasty rule over all of these rebels. The work of the traitorous Sun Jian and Cao Cao will all be for nought. Except that Zhou Yu is making it more difficult for me to undo Jian and Ce's handiwork..." Kongming sighed.

"Then why do you insist on opposing him? Why not let him restore Wu to its former glory?"

"Because, fool, Wu is Han territory! Even if Wei was destroyed, Wu would still be free. The people will have doubt in their hearts, and they will be uncertain if my lord Liu Bei is the destined Emperor of China. I must conquer Wu to end such doubts." Kongming sighed.

"It would appear that Zhou Yu will be forced to fight, then. Ironic, he does not want to fight, yet he defeats you, the man who wishes to fight him. I guess resolve isn't the only thing that determines whether one shall succeed or fail." Guan Lu shook his head and disappeared.

"Not yet, at least... But my resolve is stronger than Zhou Yu's. That man has no ambition, yet I do... Except... Sima Yi's ambition is far greater than both of ours, so I fear that I will have problems facing him. But I've chosen my battle. Wu shall fall first, then Wei!" Kongming smiled.

-----------

"Lord Sun Quan's provisions have arrived. My lord, I can stay behind and care for the people here. You must move on and win more victories for Wu." Zhuge Jin bowed low.

"I wonder if what I have done is the correct path..." Zhou Yu told Lu Xun. "I emerged to save the people of Wu from Shu's grasp, yet the recent battle here seems to have harmed many lives."

"The situation was not your fault, Zhou Yu. If anything, it was mine. I... Lacked the competence to hold off the enemy efficiently, thus, there was a major seige here, and that is what caused the people to suffer. I have learned from my fight with Pang Tong and with Zhuge Liang. I think I can recognize Shiyuan's battle formations from a scouting tower. This may prove useful, since Zhuge Liang would send Pang Tong to try to hold you off, after all, based on what General Cheng Pu has told me, Kongming is quite the sore loser." Lu Xun replied.

"Hah." Zhou Yu laughed, but soon returned to a serious expression. "Well, I'd better have you in the frontmost unit, then, for you'd prove to be a great help for them."

The army left Jiangxia, and headed for Changsha. A few hours later, Shangxiang ran as fast as she could from the frontline to Zhou Yu's wagon. Ordering it to stop for a minute, she got in and spoke to him.

"Gongjin, the convoy has almost reached Ba Qiu." Shangxiang reported.

Nodding, the General exited his wagon and shouted aloud for everyone to halt.

"Everyone! Before we proceed, we will have to enter the formation we plotted before we left Jiangxia. Is everyone ready? Good, get into position!" Zhou Yu ordered.

--------------

The men of Shu were no fools. With a vast network of watchtowers posted in the passes leading to Changsha and Ba Qiu, they would be well aware of any threats that would approach them. Ba Qiu was the last major defensive area that could hold off an attack on the major city of Changsha. Thus, Kongming had taken care in ensuring that the point would be well defended.

Zhou Yu, however, knew exactly what Kongming would do, after all, he would make very similar precautions if he were Zhuge Liang. So, he turned to Shangxiang: "I know this might be embarassing, but if you are willing to do our forces a favor..."

"Just say the word." Shangxiang nodded.

"Um... Er..." Zhou Yu reluctantly explained the plan to her, and after her shocked and annoyed expression weared off, she agreed with the plan.

Twenty minutes later, a young woman approached one of the watchtowers. "Hey, boys." Shangxiang smiled. She was disguised, of course, making it though for the Shu troops to recognize her as the princess.

"Well... Erm... Hello, miss..."

Utilizing the skills she learned, she was able to trick all these men with her glances and body moves. Of course, the Shu soldiers, typical lustful men who were drafted into the Shu army, obeyed her advances and neglected their duties. Though by no means was Shangxiang a harlot, she was able to seduce these troops into not noticing Zhou Yu's flame artilery that was set up for them.

The moment Zhou Yu noted that the enemy troops were not focusing on their task, he fired the ballistas.

Shangxiang, hearing the fire of the ballistas, lept off the watchtower. Seconds afterwards, the tower came crumbling down. The enemy troops stationed at the tower were unable to set up the fire signals, so none of the other towers knew of its destruction. Any surviving Shu troops quickly surrendered to Zhou Yu.

"That was so embarrassing..." Shangxiang shook her head, still quite annoyed by the plan.

"You're martyring for Wu, just like Huang Gai." Gan Ning offered.

Shangxiang glared at him: "Huang Gai put up with being whipped. I have to put up acting like a slut. They're two different things."

"If you feel it's hurting your dignity, then why do you insist on doing it?" Zhou Tai cocked his head to one side.

"Because Zhou Yu asked me to, and because Wu needs me to do whatever it takes to drive Shu out. I'm no sinful woman, but if I have to act like one to save my country, then so be it. Zhou Tai, don't you even think of questioning my husband!" Shangxiang snapped.

"Are you sure it isn't her time of the month?" Lu Xun asked Zhou Yu. He got a swift rap on the head as an answer.

-----------

After taking down the rest of the chain of watchtowers, Shangxiang quickly washed off her makeup in a nearby stream and prepared her weapons. Kongming's seemingly flawless design was defeated by the pretty face of a girl, much like Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu's relationship.

Gathering his troops, Gongjin soon arrived at the outskirts of Changsha. To greet him, waves of arrows began pouring from the thickets around the city.

"So Kongming knew I'd be coming. He's set up some defenders. But in the bushes? Has he forgotten who his enemy is? Take them out with our fire arrows!" Zhou Yu shouted.

Quickly, the thicket burst into flames, and dozens of Shu archers were running from their dear lives out of their hiding places. Kongming's ambush had failed. Zhou Yu shook his head and ordered his calvary to preform a forward charge.

-----------

"Lord Zhuge Liang, enemy troops have breached our first line of defense."

"Do I have to spoonfeed you everything?! Go now, warriors, and hold them off!" Kongming yelled, quite annoyed.

---------

"Lord Pang Tong, enemy Generals Cheng Pu and Ding Feng are attacking from the north and south ends of the city."

"What? Why didn't you warn us earlier?"

"Our scouting towers seem to have failed to inform us of the enemy's flanking movements, sir. They may have been compromised. Our soldiers are beginning to panic and are uncertain what to do next. Awaiting your orders."

"Instead of talking, hurry up and do something! You don't expect the enemy to fall just by yapping, do you?! Hurry!"

In a frantic rush, the troops of Shu poured out of the city, rushing blindly at the three flanks closing in on them. Zhou Yu had left the west entrance open, to allow them to run for their lives if they were wise enough to do so. Of course, both Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong were much too proud to accept his message.

General Zhang Yi of Shu engaged Zhu Ran of Wu. Even though Yi has lost so many of his fights, Kongming still felt that he was a notable officer in his ranks, and thus allowed him to command one defensive front. Zhang Yi, of course, was far too uncertain of his abilities, and was much too hesitant to assault Zhu Ran. Zhu Ran was quite bright, but his arrogance would have made him an easy target for a sudden, unpredicted strike.

Cheng Pu was quite worried about Zhu Ran's appointment. To have an arrogant officer lead an offensive front would only work if that officer had at least some humility to note that the enemy is not always predictable. However, Zhu Ran was the kind of man who would assume that the enemy would move in the most obvious manner, and for many simple minded Generals, Zhu Ran was right. But pitting Zhu Ran against wise commanders like Wu Yi or Jiang Wei would only lead to the former's demise.

Thankfully for Wu, Zhang Yi was very hesitant, allowing Zhu Ran to strike with enough force to tear through the Shu lines. Screaming for their lives, the men of Zhang Yi's unit fled back to Changsha. Wu was winning in the northern front.

The southern front did not go so smoothly. Pang Tong took command of that front, with Ma Chao and Huo Jun as backup. Huo Jun was growing old, but begged Pang Tong to let him fight. Shiyuan agreed, praying to heaven that they would somehow break Cheng Pu himself.

"Lord Cheng should be able to defeat Pang Tong. Shiyuan is a great scholar, but he is not much of a warrior. Gan Ning and Ling Tong in combination should be able to beat Ma Chao and take him down. Huo Jun is very old, he's in his early sixties, and I have not heard of him actually being a major threat to Wei, so I suspect that he won't give either of our champions any major trouble. Lord Cheng is more skilled with the bow than I am. As for the spear, he is as strong as any skilled General." Zhou Yu smirked. (1.)

"But we've got to worry about what's right in front of us, Zhou Yu. Kongming is leading the main defensive line." Lu Xun reminded his teacher.

"And we are thrusing forward as the main assaulting unit. This will be a spirited battle indeed!" Zhou Yu laughed as he drew his blade.

Kongming waved his fan. "I thought that, when I would fight Zhou Yu personally, he'd be the one leading the defense against me, and I would hold my fan and point it at the remnants of Wu's army, while Gongjin would valiantly try to hold me off. We'd pit the best of our strategies against one another, and heaven would determine the final victor. But in the last few days, it seems that fate turned against me. If Wu wins its battle, then all the territory it owned before Chi Bi would be restored to it. Jiang Ling is merely a conquered territory. It was Wei's from the days when we of Shu were fighting to create our own nation. It was only Wu's because of Zhou Yu's conquest, but Changsha has always been the edge of Wu territory, if not a part of it.

"And so I stand here with you, Jiang Wei, while Zhou Yu comes at us with Lu Xun. The outcome of this battle, well, we shall see what happens. If we win today, then it would prove that Gongjin has won all his battles out of luck, and that heaven does not smile on him. If we lose, well, let it be a lesson for us never to invade Wu again. I no longer care about the fate of Jiang Ling. Hanzhong is more than enough of a starting point for me to destroy Wei. I will give them Jiang Ling as their prize if these warriors of Wu can best me here. Let us see what they are capable of." Shu's chief minister waved his fan and smiled.

The warriors of Shu and Wu warily appoached each other, each worried about foul plays brought about by their opposing strategist. Two of the greatest minds in China were directly at war. The earlier skirmishes were simply sneak attacks conducted by Zhou Yu, or negligent moves on the part of Zhuge Liang. But this fight... this fight was serious.

Shangxiang turned to Gongjin, and he could see the sweat on her brow and the worry in her eyes: "Gongjin... I'm... I'm scared..."

"As am I..." He nodded solemnly. "As am I."

"Yue Ying... What will become of me here?" Kongming wondered as he thought of his wife, far away in Chengdu. She was leading the efforts to keep Shu stable in his absence.

"Will we survive this inevitable assault?" Jiang Wei stared uneasily at the advancing Wu lines.

"Will victory be ours after the deaths of many brave souls?" Lu Xun wondered as he saw the Shu army dig in and prepare themselves for their arrival.

---------------

Arrows and Ballistas, Swords and Lances, Catapults and Juggernauts, these weapons of war battled one another in the fields near Changsha. Screams and Howls, Battle Cries and Desperate Pleads, Cries for Retreat and Yells for Advances, these words filled the air as more and more men fell like flies. As the blood began to soak deep into the soil, both Commanders, both Geniuses realized what they had done. On both sides, legions of casualties filled the field. 30,000 Wu troops lost their lives that day. Of the 200,000 Shu soldiers, 160,000 of them would never witness another moon rise. (2.)

The original army of 200,000 Wu troops had few casualties compared to their foes. They had won a decisive victory here, but, in the process, they crippled their only potential ally who would be able to help them in the future fight with Wei. The upcoming war seemed so scary now that Shu had been defeated this badly. As Kongming retreated and Gongjin advanced into the city, the two minds absentmindely thought about the future. "Zhongda must be partying now... How will I be able to win against someone like him if... If... If this other foe of mine won't stand beside me against him?..." They thought at once.

And so, Changsha was retaken. Shortly afterwards, Zhuge Liang ordered the immediate evacuation of Jiang Ling. 300,000 troops were rescued by this move, but the casualties lost that day were still very great. Kongming turned to Shiyuan, and sighed: "Now Wu holds our destiny in its palm, and I'm sure Wei will begin to strike Hanzhong now that Sima Yi knows what happened in Changsha. If we don't act fast, we will be dead men..."

The victors of Wu entered Jiang Ling, and received a warm welcome by the populace. Zhu Ran turned to Zhou Yu: "Now is the perfect chance to strike Baidicheng! Shu is demoralized from our victory, so they evacuated this city! Let us move forward and destroy them!"

Zhou Yu looked like he was dreaming. His eyes were fixed on a point to the north. "Hmn?" He suddenly realized that Zhu Ran was talking to him.

"To arms, General, to arms! Baidicheng will be ours."

Zhou Yu answered him with one word: "No."

"What?!"

"This is a time for Wu to rebuild, not to continue this meaningless war."

"Coward..." Zhu Ran silently cursed as he walked away. "Coward... I will show you how a true strategist fights." Yifeng snarled to himself as he gathered the troops under his command and headed for the Shu border city of Baidicheng.

-----------

Yue Ying buried her face in her husbands arms when Kongming returned to Chengdu. "I... Heard what happened at Changsha... And I was so worried!" Tears fell in her eyes as she imagined how her husband must be feeling after that defeat.

"Our men fought bravely, but Wu was too strong. Though Zhou Yu and I had the relatively most 'even' fight, Pang Tong's unit was annihilated by Gan Ning and Ling Tong, while Zhu Ran completely destroyed Zhang Yi's troops. Zhang Yi almost died, and I plan to station him at Zhu Ti, or in a similar backward territory where he'll be able to train. Ma Chao is currently at Baidicheng, and Zhao Yun's been stationed farther east in case the enemy tried to pursue us. The rest of our warriors are still quite shocked from the battle... As am I..." Kongming panted.

"Cheng Pu must have been a mighty opponent if he could defeat Shiyuan so easily..." Yue Ying sighed.

"He was... He was... I will never underestimate the tactics of General Zhou Gongjin again... But what I fear most is Zhu Ran. He may break any chance of reconciling our differences with Wu. I'm sure Zhou Yu realizes what will happen soon, as I saw the look of shock and fear in his eyes as we were retreating. Zhongda now holds our destinies in his palms, unless we do something in time..."

"If Sima Yi were to profit from that battle... Then... Then will China suffer?..."

"I'd imagine so... But we must prepare ourselves for the end..." The strategist sighed as he and his wife feared for the worst.

-------------

Entering the walls of Changan, Sima Yi had a big smile on his face. A smile that was both cheerful and gastly at the same time. Glancing towards the south west, he smiled and turned to his officers. "Tonight, Hanzhong WILL BE OURS!" He yelled excitedly. The Wei army eagerly answered his cheer with a battle cry, and hordes of Wei soldiers headed for the Shu fortress of Hanzhong.

------------

1. Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu were known to be close friends. Since Cheng Pu is practically 10 or even 15 years older than Zhou Yu, the latter, out of respect, used to refer to him as Lord Cheng. Many of Wu's officers also respected the old general. Cheng Pu and Huang Gai were very close friends, and both are honored Wu veterans.

2. Even the worst of Wu prisons have windows that allow one to see the sun and moon, so...


	8. Twist of Fate

Chapter 8: Twist of Fate

Zhu Ran was quite proud of himself. He had bribed a merchant to go into Zhao Yun's camp and give them large quantities of tasty food, for free. Having eaten to their hearts content, the Shu general and his soldiers were much too lazy to fight, or move, for that matter. The moment the merchant left the camp, the Wu commander raided Zilong's base. This immediately led to a Wu victory, and Zhu Ran continued his assault by moving into Shu territory and striking Baidicheng. Ma Chao, shocked that Zhao Yun was defeated, found himself caught off guard when Zhu Ran ordered an artiliery strike. Zhu Ran, using Zhou Yu's psychological strategy of scaring one's opponent into fleeing, succeeded in convincing Ma Chao to run for his life. The city fell, and the Wu General still was not pleased.

---------

Back in Shu, Pang Tong was sent to counter Sima Yi's strike, and though Sima Yi's troops outnumbered Pang Tong's, the Young Phoenix used the narrow mountain passes and Shu's terrain to his advantage. Forcing the Wei troops to pursue the Shu troops in bottlenecks (as they had to move in a straight line through the passes), Pang Tong used boulders to crush his opponents and archers to shoot down any Wei soldier who got to the pass's opening.

Shu succeeded in halting the Wei advance for the time being, so Zhuge Liang decided to be at the head of the army that would repel Zhu Ran from their territory.

Zhu Ran continued to take Shu cities as he charged towards Chengdu. With each victory, Zhu Ran started to think that he could easily take Zhou Yu's rank. After all, only a strategical genius could possibly do so well.

But he was quickly proven wrong.

Jiang Zhou is one of Shu's largest cities. Considering that most of east Shu is quite lacking in critical cities, it would be quite an important point to defend. Kongming had arrived there, and was waiting for Zhu Ran to make his move.

By now Zhou Yu, realizing that Zhu Ran might cause more problems than help, had himself go to occupied Shu territory. He had already arrived at Lin Jiang, and was heading for Jiang Zhou as fast as he could.

In the battle that followed, Wu Yi and Zhao Yun were sent against Ling Tong and Jiang Qin. As can be expected, Zhao Yun made short work out of Jiang Qin, knocking him off his mount and beating him with his spear. Ling Tong and Wu Yi were fighting to a draw, when Zhao Yun decided to intervene and smack Ling Tong with his spear. With both Wu subordinates defeated, Zhu Ran grabbed his spear, bow, and sword and headed into battle. He was defeated soon afterwards.

But before he could be captured, Sun Shangxiang appeared on the battlefield. Her escorts were ordered to protect Zhu Ran, while she alone would engage both Wu Yi and Zhao Yun. Wu Yi knew that Shangxiang was no pushover, so after fighting twelve bouts with her, he found that he was at his limit and retreated before he could be taken down. Zhao Yun, eager for a rematch, continued fighting with her, only to have her kick him in the groin and take him out.

But as Shangxiang rushed forward, she began to feel funny, and suddenly puked on the battlefield... Shangxiang's eyes widened: "It couldn't be... I'm pregnant?"

She was a warrior, a warrior in love, and it seemed that those two really could not match. She was pregnant with her husband's child, and, obviously, she did not want to take injuries or the baby's life would be jepordized. Kongming, realizing that she was acting funny, was able to deduce the truth. "Madame Zhou Yu." He shouted at her.

She turned, both tired from the battle, worried for her child's safety, and fearful of what he would say.

"If you insist on fighting now, I cannot predict what will happen to it, however, if you surrender, and agree to become my lord's concubine, I will personally make sure that it makes it safely to Zhou Yu's hands." Kongming yelled.

"Bastard, you can't...!" She snarled, but, as if on cue, Jiang Wei fired an arrow, hitting her in the shoulder. She screamed and went down... The last thing the retreating Zhu Ran saw was the Shu army surrounding and capturing the wife of the Supreme Commander...

---------

Author's note:

I'm starting to feel sad. I'm getting less and less hits for this fic. Does that mean my writing is getting worse? I kinda felt saddened by this fact, so it took me much longer to update than usual... I hope that people enjoy this fic, because my main goal is to entertain people with my stories. If a novelist fails to do so, then that novelist won't be quite successful, right? Ah, well, I hope that this starts to get on its feet again...

Please read and review.


	9. A Hero Defeated

Author's commentary: I sounded like a pansy last chapter, when I lamented to you guys, didn't I? Ah, well, as promised, here is the latest update.

Chapter 9: A Hero Defeated

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

The yell startled half of the troops of Lin Jiang's fort awake. Ding Feng and Gan Ning ran into their Commander's tent, where they found Zhu Ran prostrated on the floor, begging for mercy.

"To save your sorry neck, she was captured by the enemy... And you tell me that the reason why she was defeated was because she was pregnant with my child... What kind of a useless father am I?! A man who cannot even stand by his wife in her darkest hour! I am at fault, that much is true, but so are you, and you have proven to be much more of a pain than a help. So, I ask you again: please GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Zhou Yu roared.

Zhu Ran, realizing that staying would only infuriate Gongjin further, sprinted out of the tent and ran off towards Jiang Ling.

Zhou Yu buried his face in his hands, and his officers began to gather around him.

"What kind of failure am I...?"

"Lord Zhou Yu, we will rescue her..." Lu Xun, who entered the tent right after Zhu Ran burst out of it, tried to reassure him.

"You only say that to be kind, Lu Xun, but in the end you have no idea if that statement will ever hold true."

"So what? Does that mean that we have to be pansies and just sit here crying? What's gotten over you, Zhou Yu? This is one tough puzzle, but you can solve it, right?" Gan Ning scolded him.

The strategist gave Gan Ning a blank look, so the former pirate just had to punch him in the face. Many of Gongjin's subordinates were alarmed at Gan Ning's move, but Zhou Yu waved them off: "You're right, Ning. Since when did I become so idiotic? Alright, then. If we send a large army to save her, we will be easily detected. Therefore, I will go alone..."

"Alone?" Lu Xun's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Alone?!" Half of Zhou Yu's officers stared at their General as though he went insane.

"What's wrong with you? First, you're a pansy and you're unwilling to fight. Then, you're a manly man and you're gonna fight alone. Fighting alone is my job! You were never like that, man. You're our brain, and if you get shot, do you even realize what'll happen to Wu?!" Gan Ning snarled.

"I will not get shot, no need to worry. I must move out now, as it is night, and they could possibly see me in the day. Farewell."

"Wait, Zhou...!"

But he had already left the camp...

------------

It is unwise to be in Sima Yi's way when the latter is consumed by greed. Pang Tong learned this the hard way.

Defeated at seveal mountain passes, Sima Yi was getting quite annoyed. He turned to Xiahou Yuan: "Scurry around a bit and find me a narrow passageway or some sort of pass that has not been guarded by Shu troops." He ordered. He deliberately ignored Xiahou Dun, because that poor fellow would have no depth perception.

The Shu locals were quite annoyed at the fact that the war had dragged on for so long, so when the Wei troops arrived, a few of them actually showed them a secret pass that Pang Tong had not even discovered himself. Gathering his troops, Sima Yi went through the pass, and got past Pang Tong's defensive line. He quickly headed for Chengdu, bypassing Hanzhong, because if he were to lay seige to that city, Pang Tong would be able to catch up to him and trap him between two Shu armies.

------------

Zhuge Liang triumphantly returned to Chengdu. His lord would be quite pleased. Sun Quan's promise was null and void, but the gift of that promise had finally been earned. Sun Shangxiang was in their hands, and Lord Liu Bei would be able to have his concubine yet! (1.)

----------

It was quite strange that, as a single person, Gongjin could cover more ground in two days than his entire army could in a week. By traveling disguised in the day and having swiftly sprinted along at night, he arrived at the outskirts of Chengdu. Making certain that his disguise would be successful, he entered the city, eager to save Shangxiang and return to Wu.

But Gongjin was so preoccupied with saving Shangxiang that he did not allow himself to think straight. Barging right into the Shu castle, he immediately alerted the enemy troops to his presence. By no means would he go down calmly. The strategist drew his blade, and like his sworn brother, Sun Ce, Zhou Yu proved to be quite a menace to those who would dare try to surround or pursue him.

Slashing his way thorough the horde of troops, Zhou Yu tried to look for the prison, but as he continued his bloody march through the corridors, he could not find such an instillation in the castle. Zhuge Liang learned the hard way that trying to hold off a desperate man like Zhou Yu was trying to tie a mother grizzly bear down when it is trying to protect its cub. Zhou Yu was going to save Shangxiang, and nothing could stand in his way.

Kongming ordered several of his finest snipers to take his rival down, but Gongjin was able to hack them down one by one. Eventually, though, they got smarter, and three of them attacked the warrior from three different angles. Zhou Yu cut off two of the arrows in midair, but was hit by the third. Having smothered the arrowhead in tranquilizers, Kongming laughed as Zhou Yu collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

----------

Meanwhile, Sima Yi marched his troops to Mianzhu. The Shu defenders at that position had no idea they were coming, and after seeing such a large army headed for them, they assumed that Pang Tong was defeated, and eagerly surrendered. Gladly taking a new base of operations, Zhongda took the supplies from that Fort and engaged Chengdu directly.

----------

Dragging the unconscious body of Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang took his rival to a large torture chamber, where he tied him to a gruesome contraption and waited for the General to wake up. The Shu Prime Minister had a sly smile on his face as he waited to see Gongjin's expression... (2.)

---------

In the dungeons below the castle, Shangxiang buried her face in her knees. She was huddled on the floor of her cell in a fetal position, waiting for someone to come help her... By no means did she want to become Liu Bei's next source of pleasure.

------------

1. This fic was partially inspired by the fanfic Embodiment of Fire on this site. There are some concepts, like stopping the wedding carriage, that were incoporated into this fic. Since that fic is virtually completed, I hope that Lady Leonheart will not object to this fic of mine...

2. Kongming's true motives will be revealed in the next chapter.


	10. Ulterior Motives and Broken Dreams

Note: I had a midterm today, and I turned in a huge project for another of my classes yesterday. Because of these two critical assignments, I could not update sooner. However, here's the latest update!

Warning: This chapter has some language, some that is particularly harsh. If you would like to skip it, and would like a synopsis, you can send me a PM and I'll be glad to oblidge you.

H.S, I have no idea who you are, but thank you kindly for your reviews thus far! Could you leave me an e-mail so that I can contact you and thank you directly?

NightmareFenix and Darken-Child, thank you kindly for your reviews as well!

Chapter 10: Ulterior Motives and Broken Dreams

Zhou Yu slowly awoke. He found himself tied to two large poles that were attached to each other perfectly perpendicularly. The bounds were tight, and his struggles to break free were in vain. Scanning the room with his eyes, he saw the Prime Minister of Shu, Zhuge Liang, smiling at him.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you forcing Shangxiang to stay with Liu Bei? You know that Shangxiang isn't the kind of girl who would let him have her! She'd likely kill him, and since you're a loyalist of that self-righteous dastard, you probably do not want him dead, do you?"

"Lord Zhou Yu, people break under heavy pressure. Your wife is not an exception to this rule. After enough time in prison and being tormented by my guards, she will eventually give in and accept the fact that Liu Bei is her new husband."

"You... You can't be the person who represents the Han Dynasty! You're a bastard! A monster!"

"I will do whatever it takes in order to restore the Han, Zhou Yu, even if it means torturing dirty rebels like you."

"So, I wonder how the people will think of their Prime Minister. I know you too well, Kongming... In a few years, your eyes will suddenly widen as you walk past the graveyards and you'll be thinking: 'What have I done?!' Your conscience will catch up to you, and when it does, I wonder how you'll be able to live with yourself. Not only that, but if Yue Ying knows of this, do you expect to be married any longer?"

"Who cares? Any woman would gladly mother my children when they know that I am the mastermind behind the restoration of the Han Dynasty."

"If you're its Prime Minister, and that perverted Liu Bei is its Emperor, then the Han Dynasty is dead, do you realize that?! No, of course you don't, you're so blinded by your ambition to restore the Han that you cannot see the evils you are doing... You're no better than Sima Zhongda."

"Shut up!" Zhuge Liang raised a whip and slashed Zhou Yu across the face multiple times. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Sima Yi is a dirty traitor! I am the loyal genius who shall save the Han Dynasty and set things right! Traitors like you make China even worse!"

"You're insane! You've dehumanized yourself with this mad obssession with restoring the Han! You're not a hero, you're a crazy man who does unspeakable horrors for some perverted dream!"

"I am not a crazy man, traitor... I am a genius not only in military matters, but in psychological ones as well... You'll see..." Kongming smiled as he raised the whip again.

"Bastard..." Zhou Yu spat at the Sleeping Dragon as Kongming lashed Wu's hero in the face.

-----------

Sun Shangxiang curled her hands into fists and tightened them: "I can't give up... Zhou Yu is fighting to save me... I know it!" As she was an important prisoner, she was given the rations provided for a typical Shu officer. Using one of the lamb shanks the guards left for her, Shangxiang made her risky move.

A guard happened to have a little dog, and, being really lazy, the guard let his dog carry the keys in its mouth. (1.) Shangxiang waved her lamb shank at the creature, and the little dog, mouth drooling in anticipation, stepped towards her.

The jingle of the keys awoke the guard, and seeing Shangxiang trying to get the dog to drop the keys, the guard smirked and grabbed his spear. Shangxiang dropped the shank and braced herself against the wall, and the guard thrust his spear forward. He stopped it three centimeters away from her nose.

"You're lucky that Lord Liu Bei does not want his promised beauty hurt. A pity that a whore like you slept with Zhou Yu rather than staying chaste for my great lord. Lord Zhuge Liang never said that I couldn't hurt the parts of your body that aren't so interesting... Like your feet, for example." The guard sneered.

Fear was a rare sight on Shangxiang's face, but this time, the only expression she had was fear, a paralyzing fear that she'd never see her dear husband or her beloved land of Wu again.

----------

The torture continued for seven days and seven nights. Zhuge Liang would turn the wheel attached to the device holding Zhou Yu, and Zhou Yu would be stretched further apart. Gongjin's tendons began to show signs of being slightly warped, for each spin of the wheel would pull them apart by another five inches or so. The torture machine Kongming built would make any ordinary person scream for mercy and submit to his will, but Zhou Yu was no ordinary soul.

Realizing that Zhou Yu wasn't begging for mercy, he smirked: "I will show you how your wife's spirit has been crushed. Guards, bring her in."

"Shangxiang..." Zhou Yu thought, fearing the worst.

She entered the room, with two guards prodding her with their spears. Seeing Zhou Yu, she gasped: "Gongjin!"

"Shangxiang!"

"You came for me... But he's too powerful..." She choked as she glared at Zhuge Liang.

"Lady Sun, this is the pathetic man you chose over my glorious lord. Dirty Whore! Look at how useless he is! He tried to fight and search for you, but didn't have the brains to think about checking for a dungeon. I defeated him with three snipers who attacked him from different angles. Now, he's nothing but a punching bag for me to vent my wrath. And you, milady, shall be one of the concubines of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. You may be born from a family of traitors, but if you bear his majesty children, you shall be a loyal wife and mother, and a welcome member of the royal family. What do you say?"

Shangxiang replied by spitting in his face.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Zhuge Liang raised the whip, and slashed at her feet, making Shangxiang's knees buckle. Her pain tolerance had decreased from being jabbed in the ribs by the guard's spears without having any armor on.

"Shangxiang!..." Zhou Yu gasped, trying to break free of his binds, but failing to do so.

"I should whip you for that." Kongming raised his whip, until Lady Yue Ying appeared. Seeing the sight before her, she gasped and staggered back...

-----------

Sima Yi had positioned himself outside the window of Kongming's torture room, which was on the second floor of the palace. Kongming wanted the floor to be above ground, so that he could have a window where he could appreciate the sunset while turning the wheel that would torment his traitorous prisoner.

The Wei strategist heard Yue Ying's shocked voice, and smirked: "Now's my chance to put Wu in my debt!"

----------

Yue Ying screamed as loud as she could: "How... How could you?... You're not my husband! You're not Zhuge Kongming, the man I married! You're a... A Thing that has possessed his body! If I don't kill you, then may heaven curse me as the woman who bore you a child!" She twirled her scythe and charged at him.

Zhuge Liang threw his whip forward and coiled it around her scythe, and by tugging on his whip, the scythe flew out of Yue Ying's hands. "My love, don't tell me that the whore and the dirty traitor have stolen your heart." Kongming smiled sweetly at her.

"I cannot bear living knowing that I married a beast like you!" Yue Ying snarled.

At that moment, the window shattered, and Sima Yi lept into the room. With a flick of his fan, knives flew out and killed the two guards that were holding Shangxiang captive. Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan came into the window as well, ticking off Zhuge Liang. When Shu's strategist tried to whip Shangxiang, but Dun thrust his sword forward and the whip coiled around it instead. Theoretically, Zhuge Liang could pull the whip swiftly and the sword would be thrown out of Dun's hands, but Kongming was too slow, and Xiahou Dun, with one quick stroke upward, shattered Zhuge Liang's whip.

The strategist grabbed his shocked wife and ran out of the room. Jiang Wei quickly got his master and the lady into a wagon and fled Chengdu. Wei had won by this sudden attack. Emperor Liu Bei found that he had to flee the city with his two sworn brothers, as the palace was no longer safe with Zhongda's guards around.

Shangxiang personally untied Zhou Yu's binds, and grabbed on to him. "Gongjin..." She smiled, finally reunited with him.

Zhou Yu held her close, and turned to Sima Yi: "I must thank you."

Sima Yi waved his fan absentmindedly: "No need... You saved me once, and I returned the favor. Now, you'd better leave, as this is Wei territory, and I can't guarantee that Lord Cao Pi won't want your head." (2.)

"Very well. Good bye, Sima Zhongda."

"Farewell, Zhou Gongjin."

Zhou Yu and Shangxiang grabbed their respective weapons and fled the scene.

--------------

Xiahou Dun turned to his commander: "Why did you let them leave?"

Sima Yi snickered and hid his face behind his fan of knives: "You'll see, my good General... You'll witness what true genius is!"

------------

Regrouping at Jiao Zhou, the Shu army was greatly demoralized. However, if the posts at Xiang Ke, Zhu Ti, or Yue Juan fell, Shu would be finished forever. Thus, they took whatever strength they had left to defend those three points. Otherwise, Jiao Zhou would be wide open for attack from Wei or Wu.

Liu Bei turned to Zhuge Liang: "With the meager force we have left, how can we reunite China?"

"Though we have been badly defeated by Sima Yi, and Pang Tong is trapped in the midst of the Wei nation, we need not fear. If we draft enough soldiers from the populous Yun Nan region, we should be able to gather an army to win back Chengdu. When we succeed in that endeavor, we will be able to take Hanzhong and Jiangzhou and, thus, win back most of what we lost. If we're persistent enough, all of our imperial territory will be restored!"

"Speaking of which, where is your wife, Yue Ying? Her advice would be appreciated... And... Where is Zhao Yun?"

"My wife is... Well... She can't meet you right now, and I have no idea where Zhao Yun went."

"I can only hope that Zhao Yun will return soon..." Liu Bei glanced to the north with a worried look on his face.

-------

1. Before you say anything, I know that it's corny, but let's just say that I couldn't think of ways for Shangxiang to escape a prison with no windows and guards with long spears that could reach almost to its edge. Also, based on my research (I may be wrong) but dogs did exist in China at the time... Albiet not that common among peasants...

2. Note, Cao Cao went Emo and committed suicide after Chi Bi... Well, not really, but I really enjoy killing Cao Cao in my fics, regardless if it makes sense or not... Let's just say that Ma Chao avenged his father and lopped off Cao Cao's head.


	11. Setting Priorities

Everyone, I am terribly sorry. I was stuck at a crossroads with this fic. I had to make the reconcilliation seem realistic, and it took me so long to think of it... I am terribly sorry if its quality isn't good enough... I was completely perplexed...

Chapter 11: Setting Priorities

Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang reached Jiangzhou, finding that it was under Wu control. Lu Xun smirked and spoke: "Zhu Ran felt guilty that you had to go and risk your life, Lord Zhou Yu, so he had his men march forward and take this city. I hope you won't get mad at him."

To everyone's surprise, Zhou Yu smiled: "It might be a gamble, but if the dice were rolled right..."

Our heroes heard hoof beats closing in from behind Zhou Yu. The general turned and saw Zhao Yun riding towards him.

Zhou Yu pushed Shangxiang back, and she was quickly guarded by Lu Xun and Zhu Ran. Gan Ning and Zhou Tai quickly got to either side of Zhou Yu.

"What are you doing here?!" Zhou Tai snarled.

"I do not intend to fight, Lord Zhou Yu. I am here to ask you for a favor." Zhao Yun dismounted and bowed.

Zhou Yu waved at everyone to sheath their weapons: "What do you ask of me?"

"What do you think of Lord Zhuge Liang?"

Everyone was stunned silent by the question, except for Zhou Yu. The scholar sighed and spoke: "Deep down, he is a troubled soul..."

Shangxiang spoke in alarm: "Troubled soul?! Gongjin, he tried to force me to become Liu Bei's concubine! He tortured you!"

Zhou Yu turned towards his wife: "Shangxiang, people aren't simple enough for you to judge them so readily. I've fought Kongming for so long. I see how people trust him and are willing to die for him. If he truly were evil, they'd all fear him and hate him, but the people love him... How do you explain that?"

"Simple, they've been manipulated! They've been conditioned to believe that he is their benevolent god!"

"That may be true to a degree, but think, Shangxiang... For so many to honor him, for so many people to call him their hero and trust him with their lives, Kongming is no simple person. Even Sima Yi, who is just as smart as me or him, does not have that honor. Few truly trust Zhongda, and most people are suspicious of him and fear him. But Kongming is different than Zhongda... So many love him... So, I cannot say that he is a purely evil man. Evil lies in all of us, but there is good in Zhuge Kongming. Zhao Yun, thank you for coming. If my plan succeeds, we shall see the good that has been buried in the Sleeping Dragon's heart."

------------

The warriors of Wu slipped through the winding defensive barricades of the Shu army. Without any soldiers, Zhou Yu, Gan Ning, Lu Meng, Zhou Tai, Xu Sheng, Da Qiao, and Zhao Yun were able to make themselves difficult to spot, and thus allowed themselves to reach Jiao Zhou.

Of course, with only officers and no troops, they could not occupy any territories, but they weren't planning to. What they were going to do was knock Kongming back to his old self.

In his quarters, Zhuge Liang was caught between two inner selves. One part of him was clamoring for the forced drafting of every Shu citizen of fighting age (men and women, boys and girls), and have them march upon Chengdu. Another part of him declared that the people were more important than the Han Dynasty. However, that second part was slowly being droned away by the first part, who argued that the Han Dynasty ensures the well being of the people. If Han is in ruins, there is no order, and thus, Kongming must ensure order even if thousands of people have to die to achieve it.

Thus, as Kongming started to emerge from the building that housed the Shu officers, he was suddenly muffled and dragged away into the night.

Kongming was fearful that something would happen to him... And then he saw Zhou Gongjin, and he almost had a heart attack.

Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang stood face to face. The other officers surrounded the pair, making certain that Kongming could not escape. Shu's chief strategist was forced to listen to his rival's words.

"Are you here to make me pay for what I did to you?"

Zhou Yu responded by giving Kongming a kick to the face.

"I'll take that as a..."

"Do not assume that everything revolves around you, Lord Zhuge Liang. There is no doubt that your work has established the nation of Shu and has given the Han loyalists a refuge, but there are thousands of people in China, at least, who suffer because of Shu's existance. Has that ever occurred to you?"

"You insult me for ignoring the suffering of others, but aren't you...?"

"I am well aware of the scores of people in the Wei and Wu borders who suffer from the border disputes and the merciless chaos of war. Therefore, I do whatever it takes to keep casualties to a minimum, civilian or otherwise. The victory of Jiang Ling was one of the greatest battles I ever won. I won territory without shedding a single drop of blood. But enough about me... It seems that your priorities have been thrown off. You focus on upholding the Han Dynasty so greatly that you are willing to sacrifice scores of people to do it. People are the lifeblood for a nation. If many of them die and they are pointlessly sacrificed, they will resent you. If you are wondering why the Han Dynasty fell to its current situation in the first place, it is because the people felt disillusioned and turned to a new leader. Granted, Zhang Jiao was no good man, but the Yellow Turbans were formed of the people. And many Yellow Turbans fought for the good of the people's interests as a whole. If you insist on letting so many people die, they will turn on you. If you insist on committing so many heartless acts, and someone finds out, those people will resent you. That is why your wife has lost faith in you, Zhuge Kongming." Zhou Gongjin spoke.

"Lord Zhou Yu, you have no idea what burden I carry..."

"Oh, I do. I assure you that I do. I have to uphold my old friend Sun Ce's dream... That is my duty. You, my friend, are so obsessed with your own glory and burdens that you cannot see what others carry. You have driven yourself to the point of madness, Kongming. But now you must realize the truth, that you are not a god, that your burdens are not the only burdens that those of your caliber must go through. You must realize the value of the people who serve under you. Only then can you truly restore the Han Dynasty. Only then can you become the wise and benevolent strategist, and only then can the praises those Shu loyalists sing of you be true. Otherwise, you are a petty, insane man who does not deserve the glory that has been given you... You would be no better than Sima Zhongda..."

"I... Will not be spoken down to by an inferior traitor like you!"

"Then face me in combat, oh wise genius." Zhou Yu ordered his men to stand back, and Kongming grabbed onto his fan: "I am far superior to you in every way, Zhou Yu, and nothing can stop me!"

But when Kongming charged, Zhou Yu gave him a swift kick to the face. The strategist was down... And was unable to get up...

"That... That's not possible..."

"Lord Zhuge Liang, you have been so badly corrupted..." Zhou Yu sighed.

Yue Ying entered the room, escorted by Da Qiao. Turning towards her downed husband, she spoke: "Kongming... Get a hold of yourself! You're the great strategist who inspired the people of Shu to fight even when Wei was crushing us. Liu Bei spent three visits to convince you to aid the people of China. The scholars Xu Shu and Pang Tong spoke so highly of you... You are a great hero, not this petty, arrogant, insane fool... Are you?"

Zhuge Liang lay there, with two personalities fighting in his mind. Zhou Yu's lecture and lesson, and Yue Ying's words were helping revive his old self... But the blind arrogance, pride, and sense of loyalty that consumed him after all these victories held its grip on his mind with an iron fist. "Liu Bei is at fault for part of this tragedy... His lust for my wife sparked Kongming's arrogant self into a frenzy. If Lord Liu Bei were to look beyond the body of a woman and realize the pain and suffering caused by such a move, I'm sure that he, too, will see reason..." Zhou Yu sighed.

At that moment, Zhou Tai and Gan Ning, who had disappeared suddenly, dragged back the Emperor of Shu, lord Liu Bei, who was still in his nightgown.

"My lord, it is time for you to see reason..." Yue Ying bowed.

"My Chief Strategist's wife is having an affair with General Zhou Yu, and thus her lover returns the favor by capturing me and forcing me to listen to his lies... Is this it?!"

Yue Ying gasped in horror. Zhao Yun whacked Liu Bei in the face with his spear. "Get a hold of yourself, my lord. It's not like you to accuse milady of such sins!" The loyal general hissed.

"Power corrupts... And this is what has happened to the leading men of Shu. Both of you have fallen in the same path as Lord Sun Quan. Liu Bei was consumed by lust and riches. Zhuge Liang was warped by pride and fame. But there is hope for both of you yet..." Zhou Yu had his men drag the two leading figures of Shu to a nearby graveyard: "These are the lives lost on your side by this pathetic war between our two nations... Their sacrifices were in vain." Gongjin then had them follow him to another sight: the city of Jiao Zhou itself. Wounded veterans wandered the streets, many such people begging for money or being provided for by their unfortunate families. Liu Bei and Kongming gasped. If so many wounded were here, in this secondary city of Jiao Zhou, imagine how many were suffering in the capital, or elsewhere in Shu?

"Sun Quan might not be able to be saved, but, good sirs, I am certain that, with your record of humanity and virtue, your eyes have opened to the true situation of your lands. I will return all territory that Wu has taken from you. Use it well, for you will have to face Sima Yi in combat. I'm sure you know that he's no pushover, Kongming..."

Zhuge Liang could only stare at his rival agape: "Truly... A man lacking ambition or fame..." He mumbled. "Gongjin, after all this, what is it that you truly desire?" Kongming asked.

"What do I desire?" Zhou Yu smiled. "Nothing, really... Nothing at all... All I want to do is live peacefully with my wife, visit my friends every so often, and spend many days fishing on the banks of the Chang Jiang. I've no intention of becoming rich, of having songs sung in my name, or having scores of women fawning over me. I want none of that. I will leave your territory in your hands, good sirs. Treat it well." With that, Zhou Yu turned and left. His officers and his sister in law left with him. (1.)

----------

1. Zhou Yu may seem too good to be true, but along the course of his fic, he has not shown any ambition at all. In a way, that makes him much like Kongming was originally, and how people like Ju Shou and Han Sui were. They were all scholars who lacked some overwhelming greed.


	12. Cursed Bureaucrats

Note: Realizing that I really should update this thing more often, I made this quick update... It's rather short, though, compared to most of my chapters...

Chapter 12: Cursed Bureaucrats

Marquis Sun Quan of Wu personally arrived at Jiang Ling to meet Zhou Yu as the General left the garrison at Jiang Ping to return to that major city. Zhou Yu had succeeded in improving relations with Shu and Wei, though the General did not seem too eager to continue good relations with that northern nation.

Zhang Zhao, the man who often latched onto Sun Quan's skirts and overwhelmed him with praise, was among the strategists who were asked to greet Wu's mastermind. But instead of greeting Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao was quick to scold him.

"Fool! You sacrificed so much territory just to put some false hopes that Kongming will not make wrong choices from now on. How are you certain that your attempt to convince him to change his ways had any effect?" Minister Zhang Zhao yelled at Zhou Yu when the latter returned to Jiang Ling.

"To tell the truth, we have no guarantee that our work did anything. However, I am certain that Shu has learned its lesson. They will fight off Wei and try to regain Chengdu and Hanzhong. If they are stupid enough to come after us, well, then I will be forced to kill Kongming at Yiling. But the chance of Kongming doing such idiotic deeds is quite slim. Zhang Zhao, pardon me, but I would appreciate it if, instead of criticizing everyone else, you'd decide to life a finger to our aid. We are merely men, after all. We make scores of mistakes, and thus we need fellow minds to lessen the probability for us to make mistakes." Zhou Yu bowed.

"You seem to be depending on luck for many of your decisions, teacher. Let us hope that you continue having successful 'rolls of the dice.' If your gambles fail us, we might begin a swift collapse." Lu Xun noted.

Zhou Yu sighed, Lu Xun's comment was not helping. His eyes darted to each officer in the assembly, and spoke:

"Our main threat, good sirs, is Sima Yi. Of all the strategists under our competing soverign nations, Sima Yi is the only one who is ambitious enough to go after us and not worry about the consequences. It is your duty, friends, to counter him. Kongming is but a weasel biting us in the ankle compared to that wolf. By no means is Kongming not a threat, but as of this moment, we ought to counter whatever Zhongda might do."

"Lord Zhou Yu, because you have done that good deed for Shu, I order you to return to Jiangzhou immediately and speak with Lord Zhuge Liang. If you succeed in earning revenue at Shu's expense, we will weaken that threat known as Zhuge Kongming. The threat known as Sima Zhongda can be easily countered if Zhu Ran, Lu Meng, and Lu Xun are all stationed at Lu Jiang." Sun Quan commanded.

"But, my lord, you must not despise Sima Yi. Kongming has already taken so much damage from the war between our two nations, and thus he has already been badly weakened. He's hardly a threat now. We have to fight Zhongda now, or we'll lose this chance. If I send a fleet from Jiang Xia up the river, I can take Xiang Yang and Wan Cheng. From Wan Cheng, a land force can attack Luo Yang and Xu Chang long before Sima Yi can get to us. Once we succeed there, Wei will be finished. Lord, don't you wish to be Emperor? You can fulfill your dream with that move. I guess you wouldn't want to waste time here." Zhou Yu spoke. (1.)

"Gongjin, you must obey my command."

"Who said that I must? I can just as easily leave, and when I do Sima Yi will destroy you. I avoided you once and I can do it again."

"You wouldn't dare... Not when Zhou Tai can cut you down where you stand... Or he can take my sister as hostage. I'll do anything to keep you by my side, Gongjin." Zhongmou sneered.

Zhou Yu's eyes narrowed: "There is little you can do to force me into submission now, Lord Sun Quan."

Lu Su decided to speak: "Gongjin, it would be in your best interests to improve relations between Shu and Wu. After all, Zhuge Liang could provide us with support against Sima Yi." He bowed low.

Zhang Zhao nodded: "Exactly. You'd be the best representative for Wu in our relations with Shu. They don't dare disrespect you."

Zhou Yu, wanting to get out of Wu's tainted capital as soon as possible, nodded: "Yes, my lord..." He turned, and left the assembly. A small band of officers followed him.

"How pathetic. Our capital is full of these fawning bureaucrats! If only men like you and Kan Ze could kick Zhang Zhao and his crowd out of there!" Xu Sheng glared back at the capital.

"That's right. I should bring Kan Ze along. After all, if Sima Yi does get past Lu Meng's defenses, he will do what he can to kill Kan Ze as soon as he can." Zhou Yu and his band of comrades found the hermit, and brought him along.

---------

Sima Yi, realizing that the Shu army would be after his head, withdrew all of his forces from occupied Shu territory. Instead, he gathered his forces at Shangyang, and crossed the river into northern Jingzhou. Stopping his soldiers at Shou Chun, he planned his next moves.

---------

Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang began talks in the city of Jiangzhou. Now that Chengdu and Hanzhong were retaken by Shu forces, Kongming wanted to 'keep his enemies close.' The two strategists agreed that a mutual alliance would be the best course of action. After all, Sima Yi was too great a threat.

However, as the two strategists were discussing their attack plan, a Wu messenger ran into the War Room. "General Zhou Yu, the capital has fallen to Wei forces, and Lord Sun Quan was captured in Hui Ji!" He announced.

Zhou Yu's face never looked so pale. And Kongming froze, unable to believe what he just heard.

--------

1. Note: Zhou Yu has no intention of letting Sun Quan become the Emperor of China. This move merely convinces Sun Quan to follow his plan.


	13. A Woman Marquis

Chapter 13: A Woman Marquis

The city of Jiang Ling was in a panic when Zhou Yu arrived. Ever since Wu took hold of the city, it enjoyed prosperity far beyond what it had experienced under Wei. Shu's short hold on the city only made the citizens afraid of Zhuge Liang's martial law, but the kindness of General Zhou Yu and his men won their hearts.

So when they heard that Sima Yi had taken the Wu capital and the major city of Hui Ji to the south, the people of Jiang Ling were worried that the Wei army would come to conquer them. It wasn't surprising, for Jiang Ling was such an important city...

Zhou Yu couldn't stay in Jiang Ling for long, but he comforted the people of that city by ensuring that no harm would come to them. Gongjin went to Jiang Xia, where the city had just been rebuilt, and was relieved that it was in Wu hands. When he went to Jiujiang, he found the city quite damaged. General Zhu Ran was there to greet him: "Lord Zhou Yu, General Lu Meng engaged the Wei army at Hu Kou, and the battle ended in his favor. He continued upriver, and we have not heard from him since. For all we know, Lu Jiang and all territories east of it are under Wei control."

"We lost this much land, from Lu Jiang to Hui Ji... We lost capital Jian Ye... How could I have been so careless? Did I really think that Lu Meng could handle command of this area? That Zhang Zhao... Something tells me that he was a part of this... No one else could have been contacting Wei secretly this entire time, and someone with his political expertise would be easily able to outmaneuver the rest of us. We will station our main frontline camp here. Send reinforcements to Hu Kou, as it is very close by and is the camp on the edge of what territory we have left. Zhu Ran, have you heard from Nan Chang and the cities south of this position?"

"Yes, my lord. They are under our command."

"Then send reinforcements there too."

"Understood."

When Zhu Ran began to relay his orders, Zhou Yu decided to go to Jiangxia to check up on things.

---------

Sun Shangxiang emerged on the balcony of Jiangxia's city hall: "My people, Wei may have invaded our lands once again, but we of Wu will not fall to them! Because this is such a critical city, it shall be hereby established as our new capital. We have Jiang Ling, Wu Ling, Changsha, Ling Ling, Guiyang, and Nanchang, all of which are major cities. Our brothers and sisters to the east may be enslaved by Wei, but we will free them! This may be a dark hour, but we cannot afford to be disheartened! As your new Marquis, I can assure you that we will reunite our beloved lands once again!" Sun Shangxiang bowed. The people of Jiangxia, clinging onto whatever hope they could find, cheered when they saw their Lady. With her and not her brother Quan as their leader, they had hope.

Zhou Yu entered Jiangxia and was given a particularly warm welcome by the populace. He found that his wife had already claimed the title of Marquis. The General smiled: "It seems a title better fit for someone like you, Shangxiang, than for that brother of yours... If only Ce were alive." Gongjin sighed.

"Don't despair, Gongjin. We still have so much of Wu intact. Lu Jiang may be your hometown, but we will rescue it from the hands of Wei. You've never failed us, so what makes you think that you will fail this time?" Shangxiang grabbed his hand.

"If Sima Yi has agents here, we will be finished, Shangxiang. I have an inkling that Zhang Zhao had connections with Zhongda... It's ironic that I'm the one who recommended him to that office." Zhou Yu shook his head.

----------

Lu Meng was bound and dragged by the legs in the prison at Dan Du. "It is good to see you, General." Zhang Zhao greeted him.

"Zhang Zhao! Chief Civil Officer of Wu! What are you doing here? Why are you wearing Wei's insigna... You deamenor does not resemble that of an impressed man... You must have been...!"

"Yes, Ziming, I'm glad that you have a brain. I was in league with Prime Minister Sima Yi from the start."

"So Sima Yi took Jia Xu's place."

"Oh, Jia Xu is still a high rank, yes, but Sima Yi proved to be even smarter than Jia Xu, so he became the Prime Minister. Thanks to his kindness, I am no longer the trivial rank of Chief Civil Officer. I am now Minister of the Interior, Governor of Wu Jun, and I have received the Medal of Honor for my actions!"

"You dirty traitor... You are worse than Zhou Yu when he abandoned Lord Sun Quan. At least Zhou Yu didn't join the enemy! We trusted you like our Prime Minister, especially when Zhou Yu abandoned us... To think that Lord Sun Quan thought so highly of you."

"Sun Quan is an utter fool. He does not know how to use men. That is why he lost Zhou Yu in the first place. My Emperor Cao Pi is a much wiser man. It's a good thing that Sun Quan never crowned himself Emperor. He is much too pathetic for that celestial rank." Zhang Zhao threw his head back and laughed some more.

Lu Meng shook his head: "If... If only we trusted Zhou Yu's judgement... If only he hadn't gone in that mission..."

-----------

Sun Quan was forced to kneel in front of Sima Yi.

"For someone whose ambition is nearly as great as mine, I'm shocked that you fell so easily. You seem to lack the talent to keep smart men in your ranks. At least, keep smart men that you can trust."

"I never knew that Zhang Zhao was in league with you from the start. Tell me this, Sima Yi, why didn't he join you when you took Jiang Ling?"

"I advised him not to. I believed that it was better if he hid his true sentiments. As you can see, I was so right!"

"Why didn't Zhou Yu see through this?"

"I can assure you that Zhou Yu had his doubts about Zhang Zhao, but that was mainly because also had doubts about you. I'm sure that he isn't too surprised to hear that we were in league. Your pet dog Lu Meng has been captured, and I'll let you have a talk with him." Sima Yi aimlessly waved his fan as he walked away.

----------

General Lu Meng and the former Marquis Sun Quan were placed in the same cell. The two men could only stare at each other, both with faces covered with tears.

"My lord, I failed you. Enemy forces cut off my supply train right before I reached Lu Jiang. When I reached that city, General Guo Huai was waiting for me, and he engaged me head on. I'm sure you know of his skill."

"Yes, Guo Huai... Very much like our Cheng Pu. I don't blame you for having trouble against him... I wonder, if I had not asked Zhou Yu to go to Shu, would we be having this situation?"

"I do not know, my lord... But I hope that Gongjin will not abandon us here. Knowing his sentiments towards you, any hope of rescue on his end will be slim."

"We shall see, Ziming. We shall see." Sun Quan sighed.

-----------

Zhou Yu sat in the primary war room of Jiujiang's main fort. As he twidled his thumbs, Xu Sheng and Lu Xun were each presenting him with documents. Kan Ze, too, was wandering about along the river, making calculations as to how the navy would move out.

Xu Sheng spoke: "With no news from Lu Meng, it would be safe if we were to assume that he is lost. We should focus on building a larger fleet, for any reckless move on our part might bring these border posts in danger. Sima Yi isn't the kind of man who would leave us a notable opening. We have to move carefully at all times."

"But we cannot take too long. If we do, Sun Quan might end up joining the enemy, and considering the fact that many of our allies and potential allies are intensely loyal to him, we will swiftly lose their support." Lu Xun noted.

"Then we should make the workers slave day and night for the good of his majesty! We cannot afford to lose Lord Sun Quan! Get moving!" Zhu Ran spoke up.

Zhou Yu smiled at each of his officer's comments: "Thanks to the talks, we do have an ally to the west, you know..."

The rest of the officers turned to him: "What do you mean?"

"It is imperative that we make the best of our situation, especially with everything that's been going on. Sun Quan's move, though fairly stupid, has allowed us to improve relations with Shu. Shu is itching for an attack on Wei, and if we simply give them supplies, they will likely strike the Wei army at Changan. That would scare Sima Yi out of his wits, and he will be too distracted to notice our forces taking Lu Jiang. The people of Lu Jiang have always been loyal to Wu, and they will be glad to help us in the march on the capital. Thus, we should convince Shu to move into the attack, distract Sima Yi, and retake the city. Once we succeed, the rest of Wu will be swiftly returned to us." Zhou Yu offered.

"But we can't take any chances." Kan Ze suddenly entered the room. "Sima Yi might be able to cut off any hope of reinforcements once you take Lu Jiang. Wei is of little concern to Zhongda. What Sima Yi wants most is power. If the Emperor of Wei will die, it only give him an even better excuse to take power and become Emperor himself. Our only chance is to have someone sneak to Sun Quan and give him hope. That someone would be me..." The scholar smirked.

"You were always talented in evasion and in convincing others to agree with you. After all, you outwitted Cao Cao. I trust that you will do well." Zhou Yu smiled at his old friend.

"I will succeed. There's no need to worry. But keep on your guard. Sima Yi might strike us in rage. An enraged tiger is difficult to fight head on. You must plan your traps beforehand." With that, Kan Ze left the room. 


	14. Flight of a Phoenix

Chapter 14: Flight of a Phoenix

Pang Tong was still imprisoned.

Ever since Chengdu fell, Pang Tong was trapped between the seized strongholds of Hanzhong and Chengdu. Due to the extremely violent nature of the Wei troops, Pang Tong and the few men he had were quickly overwhelmed. He was bound from head to toe and dragged all the way to Changan, where he was imprisoned.

The Shu army learned that the nation of Wu had lost its capital to the Wei forces, but the royal army under Zhu Ran united with the armies of Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang, and that the Marquis's sister, in order to maintain order, crowned herself Marquis in her brother's place. Of course, Zhou Yu sent foodstuffs to Kongming, who needed them due to the vast quantity of goods used during the recapture of Chengdu and Hanzhong. Kongming had heard that Pang Tong was imprisoned in the Wei stronghold, the former capital of the Han, and was quite willing to retake it in Shu's name.

Kongming planned to move into Changan and strike Luoyang shortly afterwards. Wei Yan suggested that he use the Xie Gu pass, but Kongming realized that they could not achieve this attack with the soldiers they had. They had to get reinforcements. At least thirty thousand troops had to get through the pass before the Wei forces could mobilize. Any smaller force would be destroyed by the Wei forces coming from Luoyang.

So, the Shu army decided to sneak troops through the pass. During the night, a few thousand soldiers would sneak through the pass and immediately set up a defensive camp. Shu merchants were sent to the Wei military camps to catch them off guard by sending them exotic goods from the Sichuan province, a place few northerners ever had a chance to visit.

Slowly, but surely, 35,000 soldiers were gathered at the north of the pass. They marched forward, met a camp of 4000 Wei troops, annihilated them, and continued on to besiege Changan. In three days, the Governor of Changan, Cao Shuang, forfeited his right to hold the city and fled towards the northern fortress of Feng Xiang, which was controlled by his brother Cao Xi. Cao Shuang was given his office mainly because his father, Cao Zhen, the previous Governor, was asked to assist Sima Yi in the taking of Jian Ye. Ironically, Cao Zhen was a mediocre warrior. When he was sent to the north to quell the Wu Huan tribes, he earned as many victories as the defeats he suffered in their hands, yet Minister Wang Sifu (1.), a good friend and mentor of Sima Yi, thought highly of him, so Sima Yi did too... But seeing how his son did so poorly, Kongming wondered why Wang Lang would rate the father of such an idiot so highly.

Cao Xi realized that the fall of Changan meant that Luo Yang, Han's former capital, would be lost, so he immediately sent a memorial to Emperor Cao Rui of Wei, stationed in Wei's capital of Xu Chang.

Cao Xi ordered his general, Dian Man, to join him, asking his tactician, Cheng Wu, son of Wei's critical strategist Cheng Yu, to watch over Cao Shuang in Feng Xiang. With advisor Wang Su, generals Dian Man and Wang Zhen, and 20,000 troops, Cao Xi was determined to do whatever it takes to protect Wei from the eager claws of Shu.

Zhuge Liang had heard that among Cao Zhen's sons, the only one to show any sense of real ability was Cao Xi, but Cao Xi was quiet, so his loud, brash older brother Shuang was given command of the city.

So when he heard that Xi was coming with a force two thirds the size of Kongming's, Zhuge Liang knew that he wasn't dealing with a pushover. Also, Xi had Dian Man, son of Dian Wei on his side, as well as Wang Su, the son of Wang Lang. He had two officers who had talents, but Kongming had Wei Yan, Jiang Wei, Yang Yi, and several generals and minor strategists who could easily take on Cao Xi's two trump cards. At best, Cao Xi could only buy Emperor Cao Rui a few weeks of preparation, if he only knew how to stall Kongming.

The two armies met the moment Kongming settled in Changan. The Prime Minister Shu had just unlocked Pang Tong's cell when boulders began to smash the various buildings of the city.

"Those Wei traitors are truly impatient. Fengchih, I'm glad you're here to help me get rid of them." Zhuge Liang smirked.

"Glad to see you too, Kongming. I heard that Wu's having trouble, and if we don't hold Changan, the Wei army's morale will skyrocket. We can't afford to give them something to celebrate." Pang Tong noded.

Cao Xi gulped when he heard Wang Su's report: "So my brother had Pang Tong imprisoned, and allowed him to be rescued in order to save his own neck? I may not live to see another moonrise... Men, do not let your cowardice consume you! The very existance of our nation is threatened by these Shu warriors. Zhuge Liang is the genius of our time, and if we let him pass us today, your families shall be enslaved by Shu. Stand beside me and hold him off. Fight for Wei! Fight for your families! Fight for your homes! Fight for your Emperor! And, above all, show these Shu curs what honor is!" He tried to rally his forces.

They cheered, and Dian Man led the main vanguard towards the Shu lines.

"Remember, Wei Yan, defeating Dian Man will crush the Wei army's morale, as they already know that we both outnumber them and have superior officers to theirs. Dian Man is Dian Wei's son, so he's no pushover, but he's also no particularly talented officer either." Zhuge Liang told his subordinate.

Upon seeing Wei Yan, Dian Man gulped and the two men engaged each other in combat.

Unlike his father, Dian Man duel-wielded twin battle axes. However, these axes were sharp and small, to provide for swift mobility. Though Dian Man was muscular, he was still weak compared to his father.

Wei Yan knew that those Axes could hack off one of his limbs with ease, so, using his longspear, the sly warrior tried to strike Dian Man from afar.

Dian Man knew he was doomed. Wei Yan knew exactly how to attack him. Dian Man's axes weren't sharp enough to cut Wei Yan's spear, either that or Wei Yan wouldn't let Dian Man get close enough to do it, unless Dian Man wanted to be skewered.

From afar, Wang Su ordered the troops to strike the watching Shu lines, but they were quickly mowed down by archers who already had their weapons prepared.

"Did you think I'd fall for some stupid trick, son of Wang Lang? Your father was a traitorous, pompous git, and you are an idiot. Your line of the Wang clan is ruined." Kongming snickered.

Wang Su gasped, realizing that none of these treacherous tactics could work against Kongming.

Pang Tong decided not to strike yet, as the men of Shu had to keep their reputation of being virtuous. Dian Man, meanwhile, was disheartened seeing his ally's ploy fail, to say the least. Wei Yan laughed: "You are doomed. Surrender... Not... Smart... To... Die... Here..."

"My father died for Wei. If I have to, I will do the same!" Dian Man growled.

Wei Yan smiled: "Brave... But Stupid..."

Zhuge Liang shook his fan: "That seems to be the case." He nodded at Wei Yan's observation.

Pang Tong sighed. Kongming just couldn't stop saying obvious things, could he?

Cao Xi watched as Wei Yan eventually skewered Dian Man. As his best warrior fell, the Wei troops, knowing that they were outgunned, decided to run. Cao Xi, however, refused to flee with them. He ran forward with the few troops he had left. Cao Xi was quickly captured by the Shu army.

Wang Su also tried to run, but was taken into custody. Kongming stood over both men as they glared at him.

"Cao Xi, you are a brave leader. I look forward to seeing you in combat again. However, I would advise you to pick a better advisor." Zhuge Liang ordered the binds on Cao Xi to released, and the son of Cao Zhen thanked the Sleeping Dragon as he left.

Wang Su gulped as Kongming looked down at him. "Zhou Yu would thank me for killing you. You are the son of Wang Lang, the native of Wu who betrayed his hometown and allowed Sima Yi to destroy it. Furthermore, you are a coward, unworthy of a leader like Cao Xi. Goodbye, Wang Su."

"Wait, don't!..." The strategist was executed.

"Cao Xi will probably go to Luoyang and try to set up a defense there... The Wei Imperial Army has probably reached there already. Let us move on to Luoyang and win back Han's Capital!" Zhuge Liang cheered. The Shu army proudly marched beside him. Their greatest battle was yet to be fought. (2.)

---------

1. Some call him Wang Yingxing, and others call him Wang Sifu. He is Wang Lang. In the movie version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, when Zhuge Liang argues with him, Zhuge Liang calls him Wang Sifu. So I call him Wang Sifu. If I'm wrong, then I'm sorry, but I will use what I'm familiar with.

2. I've always found it funny how defeating the officer during a Romance of the Three Kingdoms game duel caused morale to plummet like mad. That's why the Wei forces in this chapter were routed so quickly...


	15. No Honor, No Glory, Nothing but Shame

Chapter 15: No Honor, No Glory, Nothing but Shame 

Standing on top of a mound of bodies, General Zhang Yi of Shu looked all around him to find that tens of thousands of corpses were lying all around him. He shook his head, had he been downed for this long? In the distance, he could see the fleeing banners of Shu, and looking behind him, he saw the many banners of Wei steadfastly holding the city. Clearly, the Wei army was too terrified to come out to see the carnage, and the Shu army had been completely routed. But what could have caused such destruction? Zhang Yi shuddered and began his long sprint back to his allies.

--------

Zhuge Liang was speechless. His plan should have been flawless! How could Sima Yi have arrived so swiftly? Even on horseback, it wasn't possible! Sima Yi was in Jian Ye, at least that's what Yang Yi reported. Speaking of which, Yang Yi was missing and Kongming had no idea where his secretary went. Of all people, Kongming had anticipated that Wei Yan would betray him, but that general loyally stood by Kongming to the bitter end, escorting him from the screams of their dying soldiers and from certain death. Kongming owed Wei Yan his life, when he expected that Wei Yan would have taken his life. The Prime Minister of Shu could hardly believe that he was completely wrong.

Pang Tong had already gone ahead. The Young Phoenix, too, was a broken man. The defeat at Luoyang was excessively severe. The reinforcements that had arrived from Chang'an were all slaughtered, and as Shiyuan entered the city, the people cursed him and Kongming for the loss of their families. Pang Tong could only hang his head in shame and wait for Kongming to arrive.

But how could the two greatest tacticians of Shu lose? Let us look back at the battle:

_The Shu army approached Luoyang from the west. With Cao Xi having been routed, the warriors at the Tong Pass witnessed his fleeing army and, hearing that Zhuge Liang was coming at them, decided to abandon their posts and flee with them._

_Kongming felt proud that they did not dare to face him. He was water, pouring onto them like an unhindered river, submerging them with his greatness and forcing them to drown and submit to him. Cao Xi and his comrades were merely pebbles in the flood, but now they, too, were swept away. (1.)_

_The Wei Army, once feared by all of China, now resembled rabbits running from the bear. Zhuge Kongming was the God of Shu, and none could stand before him. At least, none of these Wei curs. Once Wei fell, then Kongming would have both the combined power of Wei and Shu to throw at Zhou Yu, and Gongjin would be powerless against him._

_But, again, Kongming never remembered that arrogance was his greatest weakness, and also the easiest one to exploit._

_From within his base at Xu Chang, Sima Yi knew that Kongming would be coming with a vengeance. It was in Shu's best interest to seize Han's former capital, and if they failed in that endeavor, they would be too embarrassed to continue fighting and their morale would be nonexistant. It would have been better for Zhuge Liang to take Changan and ignore Luoyang than to make a grab for Luoyang, but Kongming had no idea that he was a fool._

_Hong Nong was a critical weapons depot for Wei, but less than 65 kilometers away, the fort of Lu Shi stood vigilant, ready to counter any threats that would come from the pass at Qing Ni. Sima Yi decided to evacuate ninety five percent of his soldiers from Hong Nong and all of the weapons and most of the foodstuffs stored there, and thought that moving all of those goods and troops to Lu Shi would be the best strategy. After all, had he taken all of them, Kongming would have been suspicious. Sacrificing a few men and some supplies, Zhongda would merely make Kongming even more drunk witth pride that he overwhelmed Hong Nong so easily._

_The move proved prudent, for less than five days after the Wei evacuation, Shu attacked and took the city in a matter of hours. Zhuge Liang was so proud: Hong Nong was a famous and large city, and would have been the last stand for Wei before Shu reached the suburbs of Luoyang._

_The forts at Cao Yang and Shen Shi fell in two days as Zhuge Liang marched for Luoyang. By then, Sima Yi had ordered troops from Wancheng to wait just south of Luoyang, and Zhongda himself had arrived at Luo Yang from Xu Chang, with reinforcements coming in from Chenliu. Soon, Wei and Shu would be forced to bash heads to determine which Kingdom could remain standing._

_Sima Yi sent orders for the Commander at Lu Shi to strike Hong Nong and retake it, and the city, having been under Wei's yoke for a long time, eagerly returned to Wei's command. Cao Yang and Shen Shi virtually surrendered the moment the Wei army arrived, and the Shu army began to beseige Luo Yang from the west._

_One army came from the south. Another came from behind them. A third came from the city itself, and a fourth came from the east... The Shu Army found itself facing four Armies, and Zhuge Liang realized the scope of his error._

_But, by then, it was too late. Outnumbered, and outgunned, the men of Shu valiantly surged into the fray. Shock troops led by Zhao Yun hacked away at the Wei infantry and calvary that had surrounded them._

_The sky wailed as Zhao Yun plunged his spear into the nearest soldier. The heat of battle began to boil as thousands of Shu and Wei soldiers engaged each other. Steel clashed against steel and flesh as warriors on both sides were overpowered by their foes. A red liquid flowed freely into the soil, and the beloved yellow plains of China were painted over by a flow of red._

_Bodies, so many bodies simply ceased to breathe. Men, so many men ceased to live. General Zhang Yi of Shu fell as the Wei soldiers breached the Shu lines, and he was lucky to have fallen unconscious, unlike many of his subordinates who would never have the chance to see their families again._

_With nine arrows in his chest, General Wu Yi of Shu shouted to his superior, Wei Yan, that it was best for all of the Shu army to make one last strike at the army heading from the West. This one last strike might save the Prime Minister and Minister Pang Tong, as well as any surviving soldiers. The armies of Wei hacked away at this single Shu legion, and as their men fell the Shu warriors had to flee out of desperation. After yelling his final word of advice, Wu Yi died in that bloody plain. He died never witnessing the birth of his only child. (2.)_

_The Shu banner flew for the West, flew towards the direction of home, and with Ma Dai watching the rear, the Shu army could rest assured that their pursuers would be held off somewhat. As hordes of men fell all around him, Zhao Yun fought back his tears and shoved Pang Tong forward. There was no time to mourn for the dead. Besides, with so many fallen comrades, one could mourn for a century and still not be sorrowful enough._

_But the men of Wei could not be merry. Tens of thousands of their own friends fell before the blades of Shu. Body parts litered the ground as the Wei warriors were hacked to pieces. Countless familes lost fathers, brothers, sons, and grandsons in the carnage._

_Sima Yi could only laugh at the idiocy of it all. Kongming, arrogant as ever, was led into this extensive trap, and now the Shu army was finally finished. Changan would soon fall, as reinforcements from the main Shu kingdom would not arrive soon enough. Kongming's victories were all pointless, for now they lost everything they gained, and then some._

_Cao Xi couldn't bear the sight. Sure, he avenged Wang Su and many of his friends, but was it worth it at the cost of this much bloodshed? Drawing his sword, he realized that, instead of honoring his clan, he merely covered it with even more blood. The only worthy son of Cao Zhen prematurely returned to dust, killing himself out of the shame and guilt that comes when one takes the lives of countless human beings._

_Warriors like Zhang Liao hacked away at the fleeing Shu army, but none of them could feel that sense of honor. What honor was there when each stroke you swing at a man takes the life of a person who is not that different than you? What glory is there when you kill the father of a young child, or the husband of a loving wife, or the son of a tired old man?_

_There was no glory. There was no honor. There was only blood, and bloody was the taste on Zhang Yi's lips when he awoke and found the Wei armies cringing in fear at what they did on that day._

Looking back at the majestic city of Luoyang, Zhuge Liang's eyes were covered in tears. All his work was now in vain...

----------

1. There is an awesome free turn-based strategy game called Battle for Wesnoth. The phrase "pebbles in the flood" comes from a hopeless mission in that game. (In that mission, the only way to win is for you to hold off the enemy for as long as possible, and for you have to let every single one of your playable characters die, including one of my favorite ones: Uzela Azlef.)

2. I have no idea how Wu Yi's family was like, but I think it gets the point across. Wu Yi was one of the more talented of the secondary tier of Shu generals.


	16. A Withering Begonia

Chapter 16: A Withering Begonia, A Dead Dream, An Ambition Fulfilled

"Lord Zhou Yu, Changan has fallen to the Wei forces. The Shu Army reached Hanzhong, and all territory won by Lord Zhuge Liang has been retaken by the forces of Wei. Our allies have lost." Wu's messenger informed the Supreme Commander.

"The Han forces have been routed... Our plight is certain, now. Zhu Ran, order Generals Xu Sheng, Gan Ning, and Cheng Pu to my war room immediately!" Zhou Yu barked.

Zhu Ran was shocked. Zhou Yu would never make such a demand so viciously. Something terrible was about to happen, and Wu's chief strategist seemed to see it all.

"We are doomed." Zhou Yu thought. "If Zhuge Liang took Luoyang, the Wei army would have been completely demoralized and Jian Ye would be returned to us, but with Kongming losing, Shu and Wu are lambs about to be ripped to shreds by the wolf. Sima Yi has won. Sima Yi has won and I am nothing but a tied lamb who sees the wolf before he enters my stable. I am a dead man... We are all dead men...

"But now is the time for us to make one final stand. Now is the time for us to strike forward and kill as many of Sima Yi's agents as we can in order to force him to rethink. If I make him have that sense of doubt, if I bite him so hard that he begins to bleed, will he flinch? Will he leap back? If he does, I can make my strike. I can bite him and force him to run away, and when I do we will have a chance once again. Shu may be finished, but Wu can still breathe... But every move has to be made decisively. I have to make each hit fatal. Only then will Sima Yi began to flinch, and only then can I keep my promise to Sun Ce." Zhou Yu groaned. He was setting up a bomb. One wrong move and he'd be blown to pieces.

With his warriors aware of his new plan, Zhou Yu marched for Lu Jiang with seven legions, seventy thousand soldiers. Kan Ze was left back at base, but he constantly warned that Zhou Yu could not let down his guard, for Sima Yi might have an ambush ready.

Gongjin's army went forward, and promptly met the Wei troops standing guard in Nan Ming fort, a fort hastily constructed by Lu Meng in order to hold off the Wei advance, but was quickly taken after Lu Meng had been outwitted by Sima Yi. Zhou Yu knew that he'd have to destroy the fort. From a distance, he ordered his bomb catapults to fire, and the fort was caught in flames. The men of Wu could hear the screams of the men of Wei, and General Cao Zhen, father of Cao Xi, emerged to face Zhou Yu in hand to hand combat.

"I am Cao Zhen, the great warrior who has won many victories." Cao Zhen held his head and spear up high.

"And lost just as many devastating defeats." Zhou Yu laughed.

"You are nothing but a geezer. You're fifty seven now, aren't you? For the last twenty years our nations have fought, and Wu has finally lost its capital. It's a pity that nothing else of importance has been lost as of yet. I am still ten years younger than you, and ten times stronger!" Cao Zhen gave his lance a twirl and laughed.

"You have a child's mentality, and the stance of a mediocre warrior. Do you think you could beat me in combat? True, I am nothing like Admiral Gan Ning or General Zhou Tai, but I am still a fine warrior. Come, show me what you think you can do."

Cao Zhen dashed forward and twirled his lance towards Zhou Yu. The older man laughed and stepped aside. Zhen's spear flew far in front of him, and with one stroke downward the spear fell in half. Cao Zhen gasped and pulled back while Zhou Yu swung at him with the moves of a ballroom dancer. Each slash had a rhythym. Lu Xun smirked as he thought that one might even be able to play the Erhu and have Zhou Yu make a swords dance that would fit the notes. (1.)

Several painful yelps later, Cao Zhen found himself bowing on the ground for mercy. With less than twenty slashes, Gongjin brought down an enemy commander. The Wu forces cheered at this quick victory, and the older man laughed out loud: "Old I may be, but incompetent I am not. You're not exactly young yourself, and it seems that your experience has taught you little about the ways of dueling."

Cao Zhen couldn't really rebutt that statement. After all, he was rather incompetent compared to the older general. However, he still had to leave some dignity for himself. Snarling, he challenged: "If you can take my position within half an hour, I will let you execute me in accordance with military law. Otherwise, if you fail to take this position or if I capture you, you must kill yourself in accordance with this agreement. Got it?"

Zhou Yu shook his head: "You are rather eager to die. I accept your challenge."

Gongjin grabbed a Crossbow and hid behind a few rocks. He ordered his catapults to immediately shell the entire fortress, and had his calvary and swift infantry go around the base to its northern end. 

With his walls crumbling, Cao Zhen began to regret his challenge. After all, the troop strength of both factions proved to be in Wu's favor, and though Wu's calvary was much weaker than Wei's, as long as they continued to show their strength, Cao Zhen would probably flinch and be defeated.

The Wu forces continued to lay seige to Zhen's position, until Gan Ning and Xu Sheng climbed over the fortress wall. They quickly hacked away at the Wei troops and opened the gate. Wu's finest infantry and calvary surged in, and, in moments, Cao Zhen was defeated. Drawing his sword, Cao Xi's father took his own life, and Zhou Yu ordered that the fortification's supplies be put into their supply trains. After spending a night of rest at the fort, Zhou Yu ordered their troops to move out for Lu Jiang. Gongjin's beloved hometown was about to be liberated...

But at what cost?

_Sima Yi arrived in Shou Chun. He heard that Zhou Yu was marching for Lu Jiang, and thought it funny that the master strategist was so obsessed with liberating his hometown from Wei control. Zhou Yu clearly did not understand the meaning of true power. Once you have that, no town or group of people matter, not even your hometown, because with power you can conquer the entire world, and every town is yours. What need was there to have emotional feelings for a single city?_

Zhou Yu began to approach Lu Jiang. He immediately ordered his troops to split into three separate squadrons. One marched to the north of the other two, while another marched to the far south. The middle unit was led by Zhou Yu himself, while Gan Ning led the northern unit (as it was close to the sea), and Lu Xun led the southern unit.

This three pronged assault inched towards Lu Jiang, making certain that Sima Yi's agents wouldn't be able to spot them so easily.

But Sima Yi was more than ready for them.

Zhou Yu was a careful man, so Sima Yi had to lure him by hiding and making himself difficult to find. It would be the only way he could go under Zhou Yu's nose and destroy him. After all, there was that old saying: it's tough to find things that are right under your nose.

General Sima Yi decided not to enter the city itself. He wanted to let Zhou Yu take the city, and then beseige him and take it back with force. He wanted to kill Wu's hero before the people's eyes, so that they'd finally surrender for good. If he killed the one man they still put their hopes on, they'd be finished. No matter how hard Lu Xun worked, he would not be able to hold off the combined might of Sima Yi and his fellow advisors.

_But Zhou Yu could..._

The one man he feared in Wu. The one man from the Southern Lands who could stop his ambition. If only Xiahou Hui, Zhong Hui, Jia Kui, Hao Zhao, and his sons were not here, Sima Yi would definitely have lost, but with these men beside him, Sima Yi knew that their combined wit would finally outwit Zhou Yu and Lu Xun.

Zhou Yu would not know what was about to hit him, and Sima Yi laughed that finally, he'd be able to achieve his glorious dream!

Gongjin moved forward, unaware of the trap laid before him. He reached Lu Jiang to find it in Hao Zhao's command. "Ah, I am glad to see that a man like you took care of my hometown for me, at least. But now I'm here to regain control of it, and I'm going to have to drive you out of here for good. You're a noble man, Hao Zhao, but you will descend to the nine golden springs today." Gongjin smiled.

Hao Zhao nodded, keeping a serious face, but in his heart he sighed: "Lord Zhou Yu, you have no idea what Lord Sima Yi has in mind for you... What we are about to do is dishonorable, but I cannot disobey my soverign. If only I wasn't a Wei officer, then I would not have to do such things to keep my dignity..."

Zhou Yu did not wish to order an artilery strike, but he had his signals prepared in case. Sending his battering rams forward, he tried to smash the gates open while covering those rams with archers and a few ballistas. If they had boulders ready, they would need some people to push them, or some people to man the machines that would push them, and those arrows would mow them down.

_From a distance, Sima Yi watched, rather amused at the situation. Lu Jiang's defenders, many of whom were drafted recruits, felt uneasy that Zhou Yu was fighting against them, and were beginning to have doubts in their allegiance. Sooner or later they'd turn against their General and the city would be Wu's. The sooner the city fell, the better it would be for Sima Yi.  
_  
-----------

After a few days, the fighting began to die down as the Wei troops began to turn against Hao Zhao. It wasn't because he was a bad general, no, but because these soldiers were forced into serving a country whom they felt they had no allegiance to, and those who were facing them were their own brothers. In their eyes, Zhou Yu's army was the army of their countrymen, and they couldn't stand being on the traitorous side of the civil war.

Soon enough, Hao Zhao found himself to be alone. All of his troops turned on him, and the General was forced to surrender. Zhou Yu let him leave the city unharmed, and ordered that no one pursue him.

Instead of going to Sima Yi, Hao Zhao relented and fled the area. He mumbled as he looked back at Lu Jiang: "And to think I served a tyrant and helped him in this scheme to kill a hero. If only I was born in Shu or Wu, then I would not have to stand beside that bastard... He will destroy the honor of Wei, but there is nothing I can do against him..."

Lu Jiang's people rejoiced at Zhou Yu's arrival. They had a huge banquet in his honor. Unfortunately, that very banquet spent a large amount of their food supply, the perfect situation that Sima Yi could take advantage of.

Soon enough, Sima Yi ordered his own artilery strike. The city was immediately in alarm, and the people were in a panic, so Lu Xun did what he could to calm him down while Zhou Yu tried to remedy the situation. The Wei troops began their brutal seige, slamming their armored and artilery divisions into the city wall. Gongjin sent Wu Commander Liu Zan to charge through Zhongda's barricade and reach Jiangxia.

By all means, it was a miracle, but Liu Zan succeeded, the Lady Sun Shangxiang received her husband's call for help, and, taking General Cheng Pu with her, she marched her soldiers as fast as she could for Lu Jiang.

Zhou Yu, Gan Ning, Xu Sheng, and Lu Xun exited the city and, with as many soldiers as they could afford to muster, attacked the Wei lines with a vengeance. As Zhou Yu hacked left and right with his sword, he stood face to face against Wei officer Xiahou Hui.

Xiahou Hui was the son of Xiahou Yuan. He was quite a strategist, having helped General Cao Mao outwit several northern barbarian forces when they tried to invade the northern province of Ji. It was wrong to call them barbarians, really, for those Xiong Nu were very, very smart. It took a lot of planning to finally crush them, and because he was so smart, Xiahou Hui was an ideal candidate for Sima Yi's plot.

Zhou Yu was well aware of the younger man's talents. Swinging his blade, the older General spoke: "A young man like you has so much to live for. What is the purpose of standing here before me? I do not want to kill you."

"I stand here not because I hate you, Lord Zhou Yu. It would have been great if I befriended you, but I am here because my country needs me..."

"Your country?!" Zhou Yu let out a bitter laugh. "Your country? Hah! You are not fighting for your country, young warrior. You are fighting for General Sima Yi, and his dream of seizing power for himself! You've been deluded from the start. Lower your weapon and help me save Wei from its worst enemy who lurks in its ranks, or you will regret your affiliation very soon." (2.)

"You are lying, General Zhou Yu! Lord Sima Yi would never be so horrid. He is a loyal servant to Wei and you are slandering him. For his honor, you shall die by my blade..." Xiahou Hui readied his sword.

"Show me what you can do, boy." Zhou Yu raised his own blade.

The two men clashed blades, and as he was fighting in the distance, Xu Sheng was quite certain that Zhou Yu would win, but, heck, he wasn't the only person with that opinion. All of Wu's troops knew that Zhou Yu would win, for their hero was also one of the greatest swordsmen alive. It would take more than a single worthy opponent to take Zhou Yu down.

Sure enough, Xiahou Hui got exhausted before the old man, who seemed to still have vigor. Zhou Yu placed his blade on Xiahou Hui's shoulder: "Young man, I do not wish to kill you."

Xiahou Hui smiled: "So the sages who I once visted, Cui Zhouping and Meng Gongwei, were right in saying that you were a good man, but you know of the rules of war. I am Xiahou Yuan's son, a warrior by birth, to let me live after I have been completely defeated is shameful, especially in a situation like this. You know the unspoken rules of honor and dignity, and, thus, you know what you must do. I came here knowing that death was very likely, and I leave no family behind. Kill me, and I swear to you that I will bear no grudge as I descend to the nine golden springs."

Zhou Yu sighed. Hui wasn't that much older than Zhou Xun, Zhou Yu's own firstborn and eldest son. Lifting his blade, the General groaned: "Good bye, Xiahou Hui."

"Farewell, General..." Xiahou Hui closed his eyes, and Zhou Yu swished his sword downward...

----------

The battle continued to rage on as the rest of Wu's officers engaged their Wei counterparts. Gongjin continued to hack through his foe's lines, until he saw Sima Yi himself.

"How does it feel, Zhou Yu, to realize that you were led right into my hands?"

"You can brag all you want, Sima Yi, but in the end you may find that you merely deluded yourself with your arrogance."

"You say that now, but I've caused enough damage to your intelligence network for you to be completely uncertain of how many reinforcements may be arriving. I assure you that I will kill you, however long it takes, and even if I have to lose everything to do it. Once I kill you, Wu is mine and Shu will also be mine. You are a dead man, Zhou Yu, and your country will be no more." Sima Yi smiled.

"If I am a dead man, Sima Yi, then you shall be cursed for eternity. I am only one man, but there are countless innocent lives here who have taken a weapon and are standing behind me now. They are all fighting to stop you from taking hold of their homeland. I am their champion, and by killing me, you kill their spirits, and I know what you plan to do with these people once you've won. I will not let you win without a fight. I will die here if I must, and if I must die from your unworthy blade, well, then let me lament heaven's wish to place a beast like you on the throne of China." Zhou Yu snarled.

"Then you'd better start crying now, Gongjin, for you will be slain by my hands." Sima Yi laughed.

----------

Sun Shangxiang of the Wu army suddenly appeared from behind Sima Yi's forces and began to hack her way through them to reach her husband's side. With the veteran General Cheng Pu, her army was a formidible force, and Zhongda was forced to let her pass. To Sima Yi, it really wouldn't matter. Heck, killing Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang in one stroke would work wonders for him, so it was actually good that she was here.

Gathering his troops and his tacticians, Zhongda lost Xiahou Hui, and Shangxiang's sudden strike 'broke his style.' Admittedly, he was a little intimidated now that the lioness had entered the playing field. Her owl of a husband was putting up a decent fight, but, as an eagle, a true bird of prey, he'd would have won had she not entered the fray.

Finally, after observing his opponent for a good hour, Sima Yi came up wth his decisive move.

The Wu forces had gathered themselves into formation, with pikemen at the front, ready to spear calvary units, and ballista artilery units on the castle walls, ready to crush any foes who'd dare approach the city from below. Zhonda knew that a direct attack on the enemy infantry with his own would be suicide, and they were obviously prepared for his calvary, so Sima Yi had to attack using a more cowardly (and more effective) method: a direct artilery strike on the enemy line.

This tactic was rarely used. In the unspoken rule of battle, one only used an artilery strike on the enemy lines for self-defense. Artilery was intended to shell checkpoints, watchtowers, fortificatons, citadels, and (in extremely rare and controversial occassions) cities, not to strike actual groups of walking people. But Zhongda was desperate, and bloodthirsty, and nothing could get in the way of that sort of man.

The catapult shells fell right onto the entrenched Wu troops, and Gongjin was appalled at this sudden attack. As the Wu army's moral plummeted, the Wei soldiers rushed forward and cut many of them down. Sun Shangxiang ran forward and engaged Jia Kui in combat.

Jia Kui was the younger brother of Jia Xu, the genius who helped Zhang Xiu resist Cao Cao's attacks for several months. Unforutnately, Jia Xu was a deceitful person, convincing Zhang Xiu to surrender to Cao Cao shortly afterwards. Jia Kui was also rather bright, and Sima Yi was glad to employ him.

But the lady Sun would not be fazed by such an opponent. She was no fool, and besides, could Jia Kui prove himself in actual combat? There was that old saying: "Discussing troops on paper..." When he points at a battle map, Jia Kui may seem like a competent General, but send him into battle, and he might show a much less competent side.

Jia Kui raised his weapon: a pair of warped axes that looked more like sabers than actual axes. (3.) Shangxiang laughed and held her chakrums. Both weapons were rather similar, yet the lady had more tricks up her sleeve.

As Jia Kui and Sun Shangxiang exchanged blows, she was able to slip around him and throw several daggers at him through the sleeves of her robe. They helped to strike several of his ribs and weaken him to the point where she could finally dive forward and decapitate him.

Zhong Hui and Sima Yi both knew that with their latest ally dead, the Wu army appeared to have the upper hand, for now their morale was increasing, but that was all a feint. Reading his ballistas, Sima Yi aimed one right at the vulnerable Shangxiang, who was so eager in killing Jia Kui that she did not notice that ballista aimed right at her. He fired the ballista, and as the round headed for Shangxiang, another person came in between the round and the woman.

"Gongjin!" She cried out, realizing the cost of her blunder.

Zhou Yu had a ballista round caught in his chest. His stomach and liver had been punctured by the round, and he would not have long to live.

"... Shangxiang... Who would have thought it would come to this...?"

"Idiot!... Why... Why did you...?"

"I... Love you... I couldn't let you die..."

"But you thought it would be better if you passed on?! Selfish bastard! Did you think I'd be any happier if you died? But... It's too late for that..." She quickly hugged him.

His eyes widened: "Wait...!"

But it was too late. By embracing him, she, too, was caught on the round.

Blood began to flow from both of them, yet the two lovers could only see each other.

"I'm sorry, Shangxiang, for all of this..."

"It was never your fault, Zhou Yu... We fought our hardest, and they still outwitted us..."

"Xun... I told Xun not to go to war, not to be like his parents. I doubt he listened, though..."

Shangxiang smiled, despite the pain: "He takes after both of us in that way, doesn't he...?"

"Yes..."

"Gongjin... Think of it this way, you're not dying alone... Together, we'll see what waits for us in the nine golden springs."

"Yes... Together... Let's go, Shangxiang..."

"Yes, let's go... Zhou Yu..."

-----------

_A thousand miles away..._

Zhuge Liang of Shu stood in Chengdu. Staring at the sky, he saw two brilliant meteors fall to the east. Kongming gasped: "It... It couldn't be!... I... I am not doomed, but my position is now critical. Lord Zhou Yu, it seems that you were unable to stop Sima Yi from taking your life, but rest assured that I will kill that bastard, and the people of Wu can live in peace... Under the banner of Han!"

-----------

Together, the Begonia of the South and the Champion of Wu perished. Together, they would bravely face whatever awaited them in the afterlife. This time, they both lost to the enemy, yet, at the same time, they had fought bravely against a relentless foe. Sima Yi killed his two worst adversaries, but in so doing he lost the support of an entire nation. Even if Wu were to fall before Jin, no one would support the new ruler.

No one, that is, except for Sun Quan.

After the army at Lu Jiang was completely destroyed, with all of its leaders, including the great Lu Xun and the mighty Gan Ning, executed, Sun Quan, Marquis of Wu, officially surrendered to Emperor Cao Rui of Wei. Actually, he had surrendered to General Sima Yi of Wei, and Cao Rui had no say in the terms of surrender. Sun Quan became King of Bing province, and was glad to go there, to have control over people who wouldn't dare defy him.

Lu Meng of Wu protested against Sun Quan's surrender. His ruler rewarded him with a quick slash to the neck using the Ancestral Sword, the very blade handed down to Sun Quan by Sun Jian himself. Lu Meng was killed by the very symbol of loyalty to the Sun clan. Apparently, being loyal to Wu was no longer in the Sun clan's agenda. Now, to be loyal to the Sun clan meant that one had to surrender to Wei.

Which is why the entire nation of Wu was in rebellion against the Sun clan. The young Zhou Xun, who, at twenty one, already had a wife and a baby daughter, declared that he would rally his brothers and sisters and revive Wu. Sun Quan's youthful son, Sun Liang, took the reigns as Marquis. He was only fourteen years old. (4.)

The Wei army marched through Wu, easily taking cities left and right. Huang Gai, Cheng Pu's old friend, tried to hold them off, but he was quickly killed and his armies were quickly wiped out by their Wei counterparts. Finally, the Wei army reached Jiang Xia, where Lu Kang, son of Lu Xun, was waiting for them...

After two weeks of fighting, Lu Kang committed suicide as he was completely surrounded and the people of the city were beginning to practice cannibalism in order to survive the Wei siege.

With the fall of Jiang Xia, Jiang Ling fell soon afterwards, and the Wei army marched deeper south... To the city of Changsha, the hometown of Sun Jian and his clan. (5.)

Sun Liang had established his capital at Changsha, so that it would be far from Wei's grasp, but now Wei's arm had grown long, and now their capital was in danger.

So Zhou Xun, appointed as Supreme Commander by Marquis Sun Liang, sent his forces to engage the enemy. His younger sister, Zhou Ying, offered to join her brother, but Xun told her: "I have a feeling that something terrible will happen to us. Those Wei bastards took our parents from us. They've slaughtered so many of our countrymen, so you'd better flee with my wife and daughter, and reach brother Yin in Gongan. It may be in Wei territory, but if you slip around enough, the people of Wu will not betray you, and you'll reach our brother's cottage. He'll take care of you, but I'll have to continue the fight here."

Ying shook her head. She was fearful of what was going to happen, but she knew that her brother was right. "Take care of yourself, Xun... Do whatever it takes, but don't be stupid."

Zhou Xun nodded: "I'll make those Wei bastards pay for what they've done."

----------

Zhou Yin, second son of Zhou Yu and Sun Shangxiang, decided to take the path of Cui Zhouping and live in the city of Gongan. Sima Yi did not dare to harm him, because Zhou Yin had studied magics that could easily wipe out anyone who dared to harm him. Zhou Yu had told his second son that, no matter what, he could not go to war. He had to stay behind and live, so that future generations could know of the horrors of war and the heroes of the past.

Zhou Ying, the youngest child and only daughter of Gongjin and Shangxiang, took her sister-in-law by the hand, and, with her nephew, fled for Gongan. After dodging the various Wei barricades and having Wu civilians help them, they arrived at Gongan and took residence with Zhou Yin. Both siblings knew that their brother's fate would not be kind, but they also knew that, no matter what, they had each other.

----------

Sima Yi continued to march forward towards Changsha, and Zhou Xun went to meet him. Sima Yi thought he would win when he saw how empty the city seemed to be, but as he stepped into the gates, the city gates suddenly closed, trapping him in. Thousands of soldiers showed themselves at the city walls, dropping bombs and boulders down at the Wei troops outside. Sima Zhao, the second son of Sima Yi, was second-in-command of his father's unit, and was forced to flee some distance away. Trapped in the streets of Changsha, Sima Yi found himself facing Zhou Yu's son in hand to hand combat. Like his teacher, Lu Xun, Zhou Xun wielded two blades, and used both of them to saw Sima Yi's neck clean off his shoulders.

----------

Sima Zhao, knowing that his father was as good as dead, ordered an artilery strike on Changsha. The catapults and ballistas mercilessly crushed the city walls, slaughtering countless soldiers and civilians within. As Shu reinforcements tried to reach their Wu allies, they were easily cut off by the defenses at Yiling left over by Sima Yi after the death of Lu Kang. So, without any help from anyone else, Zhou Xun had to hold off Sima Zhao, and failed...

Dragging Sun Liang and Zhou Xun out of the city, Sima Zhao ordered both men executed. When their heads hit the ground, Sima Zhao gladly declared victory, and his men cheered.

_But, throughout the land of Jiang Dong, throughout the province of Wu and among the peoples of the Chang Jiang, tears flowed freely as the people knew what those deaths represented... Dong Wu was lost forever..._

With the destruction of Wu, Sima Shi, Sima Zhao's older brother, captured the sage Kan Ze and brought him before him.

"My brother has conquered Wu, and since you are one of Wu's most treasured minds, I ask that you help me fix Wu and make it a better place." Sima Shi sneered.

"It was a far better place when Zhou Yu was alive, and no matter what you do, you will not be able to restore it to that former glory. Your father was a terrible man, your younger brother is also a horrible person and you are no better, Sima Shi. Kill me if you wish, but I will never betray my people and join you!" Kan Ze growled.

"Very well, then." Sima Shi waved his hand, signaling the executioner to take Kan Ze's life.

With a flick of his sleeve, Kan Ze fired a needle at Sima Shi's neck. It struck, and as Sima Yi's eldest son fell, the executioner's axe severed Kan Ze's head from his body.

---------

Now having conquered Wu, Sima Zhao turned his attention to Shu. The men of Sichuan knew that their friends in Jiang Dong were gone, and all they had were themselves... But would that be enough?

---------

1. Zhou Yu was known as a good musician (more hobby status, not professional), and he is also known as a great warrior. I just thought that the sight of him making a swords dance to a particular tune would be funny and help divert one's attention from its main mood... After all, this fic has been and will get depressing... Sigh... Oh, right, and the Erhu is a Chinese instrument that resembles the cello... In a way... Just not nearly as big (it's about the size of a viola.)

2. Sima Yi was never so evil. The games twisted him too much. His son, Sima Zhao, is the truly evil man. Sima Yi was manipulative, no doubt, and he was deceitful and looked like some kind of monster compared to Zhou Yu, but Sima Yi was still a man. Sima Yi still had a heart. He still cared for some people, but Sima Zhao was a man who would kill without sorrow, a man who was truly sinister. If you don't believe me, hell, read the histories, for I do not want to waste my time writing about something so obvious... (But, then again, these events happened 1800 years ago. It's hard to really know what's true anymore...)

3. There's this one Yu-Gi-Oh card, Rude Kaiser, that has these kinds of battle axes. Otherwise, well, I remember seeing them in some Three Kingdoms games and such, and I'm sure that hand axes of the kind existed back then, as they can resist downward slashes to one's wrists. But, heck, with Katanas and Scythes in Dynasty Warriors, anything's possible, right?

4. Sun Liang technically shouldn't have been born yet, but he's the only son in Sun Quan's line who I actually like, because he's scholarly. He's not exactly a leader, but he's a smart and kind guy, and a good man, unlike his father.

5. Which also happens to be my 'hometown.' (My mother's clan originated from there.)


	17. A Dream Come True

Chapter 17: A Dream Come True

Zhuge Kongming stood on the walls of Baidicheng. He watched as a large army of blue flags and troops appeared before him. "It is good to see you, Sleeping Dragon. I am Sima Zhao, son of..."

"A bastard, and your mother was a female dog. No human being would bear Sima Yi children. Sima Zhao, you are a piece of filth and I feel that it is unworthy for the men of Shu to dirty their blades with your blood. You should be proud that you were lucky enough to kill Zhou Yu. Had Sun Quan had a sense of loyalty to the people of Wu and had Lu Su had half a brain, your father's attack on Wu would have failed, but because Jian Ye and so much of Wu was lost, Zhou Yu was unable to regain that territory. You filth of Wei won by luck, not by skill, but today you shall die before a truly skillful opponent. I do this not only for the good of the Hans, but to avenge Zhou Yu. If only Zhou Yu were a Han General, he'd be one of my most honored warriors, and I'd probably rely on a man like him much more than I rely on the Young Phoenix. Too bad he fought as a Wu General. But even so, he was a far better man than you, even if you and him are both rebels. Today, I shall claim your head." Zhuge Liang snarled.

The warriors of Shu surged forward like a flood. They ran across the Wei lines, and from a distance the giant pandas of the great Sichuan bamboo forests could see curious streams of green weave through large patches of blue. Thousands of Wei troops fell like flies before the Shu lines.

Xiahou Yuan, the old general who lost his son to General Zhou Yu, engaged Zhao Yun in hand to hand combat. His mighty bow pierced the younger man's shoulder, but Zhao Yun twirled his spear and lopped off his head. Zilong continued to ride forward, hacking away at the vast sea of Wei soldiers.

The Wei forces took heavy losses, and Sima Zhao found that he had to retreat. "Truly, that man was my father's rival..." Sima Yi's sole surviving son thought as he fled back to Yiling.  
_  
But the aging Pang Tong was not so lucky..._

Chen Tai sighed as their troops moved forward: "Shizai... You've heard of the victory in Wu, right?" He turned to a younger man who was marching beside him.

"Victory? What victory? If anything, it merely consisted of the slaying of heroes and the rise of a villian... Wei is doomed..." Deng Ai sighed in response as he turned to his older friend.

"Do not speak of the Prime Minister in such a fashion! Sima Zhao is a far greater man than you!" Zhong Hui growled. Deng Ai and Chen Tai were forced to lower their voices to an inaudible murmur.

The young general had mixed feelings. Sima Yi had given him the life he had now. He owed everything to the older man. Yet, Zhongda had taken the lives of so many innocent people. Much of China was now in ruins because of his actions. It was ironic how his benefactor had done so many horrible deeds.

And Sima Zhao was no better, but what could Shizai do?

--------

Pang Fengchih had his troops in waiting on the roads before Hanzhong. He was pretty sure that there wouldn't be any trouble.

That is, he was sure that he'd be fine until another army began to close in from behind him...

_Meng Da had long wished to defect to Wei. Yang Yi had recently returned from Wei and convinced him that it would be the right thing to do. With Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide away, defending Hanzhong with Pang Tong while Zhao Yun stayed with Kongming, Meng Da realized that nothing was stopping him._

_Lord Liu Bei really wasn't much of a fighter, and neither was his son, Liu Feng. It took only twelve minutes for Meng Da to single-handedly dispatch both men with his sword, and it was rather laughable that the one man the people of Shu put their faith in, and one of the three heroes who fought Lu Bu, could be so pathetically weak..._

_With Liu Bei dead, Meng Da suddenly turned and slew Yang Yi, claiming that he'd murdered the assassin who killed their beloved lord. The people of Chengdu willingly accepted the fact that Meng Da was now the Governor of Cheng Du, and didn't resent him when he sent a large portion of Shu's army to Hanzhong._

-------

With Meng Da behind him, and with Zhong Hui before him, Pang Tong was surrounded. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei ran for the traitorous Meng Da, but by the time they succeeded in cutting him down, Pang Tong had already been cut apart by Zhong Hui. The two sworn brothers were able to clear out an entire legion, but they were both still mortal men. They'd grown old over the years, and eventually succumbed to fatigue. Zhong Hui was lucky to be alive, and he happily kept their heads on pikes.

-------

_Kongming read the report from the Capital, and his eyes widened... Yang Yi may have died, but his scheme was a total success... Then, as he received the battle report from the defeated forces of Hanzhong, he realized what was coming for him._

_Zhuge Liang threw his head back and screamed, and, to Sima Zhao, that scream was music to his ears... The Sleeping Dragon had been defeated.  
_  
-------

In Baidicheng, the young Lord Liu Chan was crowned Emperor. Five days later, Chengdu fell to Zhong Hui, and with his subordinates Chen Tai and Deng Ai, Zhong Hui marched towards Zhuge Liang. From the other side, Sima Zhao marched towards Baidicheng.

Kongming, his son Zhuge Zhan, Zhao Yun, Guan Yu's sons Guan Ping and Guan Xing, Zhang Fei's sons Zhang Bao and Zhang Zun, and Zhao Yun's own son Zhao Guang were by his side. But the one other veteran Zhuge Liang knew he could rely on was Wei Yan. Turning to that cryptic General, Zhuge Liang bowed and spoke: "Wei Yan, please forgive me for doubting you for so many years... Yang Yi was the traitor, not you, yet I treated you so unfairly..."

Wei Yan nodded, and gave a rare smile: "Doesn't... Matter... Now... Now... We... Fight... For... Shu!"

Kongming nodded, and raised a wine glass. "To Sichuan!" He yelled as Zhao Yun charged towards Zhong Hui while Wei Yan rushed at Sima Zhao.

-------

Five legions of Wei soldiers died that day. Wei Yan hacked left and right, taking down ten soldiers with every stroke, before he met Wen Yang of Wei, and was struck down by the man's giant whip. Kongming watched as his misunderstood general fell, and tears came to his eyes.

Zhao Yun killed Zhong Hui of Wei, yet, to his surprise, Deng Ai of Wei and Chen Tai of Wei suddenly turned and joined him. Zilong was taken aback, and Deng Ai explained his move: "Criminals we may be in the people's eyes, but in the end, it is what we do in times of crisis like this that will show our true colors. I may have wronged you, but I am willing to stand beside you and die here on this day. I couldn't live with myself if I continued to fight for Jin, and I think that friend Chen Tai agrees with me."

Jiang Wei emerged from hiding from the south, with a few reinforcements, but from Zhong Hui's lines, Wei Guan emerged. Zilong turned to Shizai and Xuanbo (1.), "Now is the time for you to prove your goodwill." He reminded them.

Deng Ai and Wei Guan clashed swords while Chen Tai tried to take on the legions of Wei troops heading from the west. Now that Chengdu was officially Wei territory, more Wei soldiers were coming via Changan down that path, trying to reinforce Sima Zhao from the other side and trap the Shu army between two forces.

Turning his head, Zhao Yun saw the Shu lines disperse before Wei's might, and his eyed widened when Zhuge Liang was stabbed by a thousand arrows. Jiang Wei ran forward, trying to avenge his master and kill Xiahou Dun, but the enemy warrior's son, Xiahou Shang, threw his spear and skewered the younger strategist.

Zhao Yun ran towards Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Shang, and the rest of Sima Zhao's unit. He knew that the Shu army had lost, but it wasn't over until Zilong himself was killed.

_But as he slashed away at Xiahou Dun, and as he continued to fight, Zhao Yun slowly felt weaker and weaker, and his great strength slowly drained away... The great General of Shu, who slaughtered legions of men throughout his life, finally succumbed to old age. General Xiahou Shang avenged his father and took out Zhao Yun by shoving his sword through Yun's bladder. The Shu general fell, yet Chen Tai and Deng Ai fought on, and also were overwhelmed by the tremendous majority of Wei soldiers. Every Shu officer present was executed, and the few officers who survived either surrendered and went back into hiding._

_Emperor Liu Chan of Shu announced his abdication, and was given a small feifdom. Sima Zhao, proud of his final victory over both Shu and Wu, went back to capital Xu Chang. Emperor Cao Rui personally went to congratulate his fabulous general, but with one quick stroke, the son of Sima Yi killed the son of Cao Pi. None of the ministers at court supported the Wei Emperor, so once he died, they acknowledged Sima Zhao's coronation, and in 245 AD, Sima Zhao of the Sima Yi clan was pronounced Emperor of Jin._

_Fifteen years later, during a severe thunderstorm, Emperor Sima Zhao was struck down by a lightning bolt, and was fried to death. Sima Yan, his son, became Emperor, but in 275 AD, he died from an unknown illness. Shortly afterwards, the tribesmen of the Xiong Nu, eager to avenge their brothers who died by Wei hands, burst through the northen gates of the Great Wall and entered capital Xu Chang. With the fall of Jin, China once again fell into chaos, and the people of Jiang Dong, Sichuan, and the Northern Plains never knew peace until the Middle Kingdom was finally reunited under the Tang Dynasty, but that peace came with the price of a five hundred year war._

The world, under heaven, after a long period of unification, tends to divide, and after a long period of division, tends to unite. That unchanging law caused the Han to collapse and allowed Jin to reign over the Three Kingdoms, yet that same law also forced Jin to fall before the Xiong Nu and bring China into another five hundred years of war. Truly, heaven can be so cruel... Zhou Yu, Sun Shangxiang, Lu Meng, Kan Ze, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Pang Tong, these men and women stood for their respective nations, hoping that somehow, the vicious cycle could have turned in their favor, but alas, heaven chose Jin as the successor to the Han, and these heroes died cursed by their fate...

As the world turns on, we mortals are forced to look back at their lives and sigh with regret, yet, at the same time, we must move on and hope to bring some meaning into our lives. Let us strive to be like Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun, brave men whose devotion to the people never faltered, and let us learn from the errors of Sun Quan and Zhuge Liang... But, above all, we should always remember that we should appreciate all of the precious things in our lives, for, who knows, something might be just around the corner.

_Fin_

---------

1. Sorry, it's a habit of mine to refer to people by their style names. Shizai is Deng Ai and Xuanbo is Chen Tai.

--------

Well, people, now that this fic is over, I guess I have to say sorry. It was a rather depressing tale. Someone asked me whatever happened to Yue Ying. I'll leave that for you to decide. Like many officers back then, the Yue Ying in the tale has really no ending, for, based in this universe, the records about her were lost. Zhou Yin simply wasn't able to record whatever happened to her.

Yeah, this fic was tough to write because it's so depressing... I hate depressing fics and my next Dynasty Warriors fic is planned to be much merrier. So, please, stay tuned and continue lovin' the Three Kingdoms series. It's a great series, with many great characters!

Thank you for reading, and, well, see you soon.


End file.
